The Tank Born Diaries
by QueenyProductions
Summary: Nine months have passed since the Reaper's destruction and Wrex leads the Krogan Union into a brighter future. But there will always be those who seek to destroy what they build, and Grunt and his newly reformed Aralakh Company will face these challenges head on if they are to secure the future of the krogan.
1. Rebuilding Tuchanka

**The Tank Born Diaries **

**Chapter One: Rebuilding Tuchanka**

_Whear are yOu?_  
_SHEPERD S HEPAURD SHEPARUD!_

Grunt stared at the message on the terminal, amazed by how terrible his grammar once was. Did he really spell Shepard like that? It seemed funny now, but nearly a year ago that was all he was capable of. How far he had come in such a short time.

He was stronger now, smarter, a true krogan warrior. He didn't charge into battle, he planned and prepared, just like he had seen Shepard and Wrex do. He learnt from his elders, as Wrex and Shepard had, and what he had learned made him a better fighter.

He closed the terminal and left his chamber, a square and large room in one of the new krogan temples. He had been one of the first to choose to live on the surface, after the Reaper Invasion his kind began to rebuild Tuchanka and what new buildings were constructed were used as homes and temples.

Bakara had begun restoration on the old temples buried beneath Tuchanka's surface, with a team of specialised archaeologists and cartographers the forgotten krogan world was becoming clearer and soon they would be able to go into its depth without fear of losing their way.

While Bakara focused on rebuilding and digging up the past, other females began to boost the krogan population. At the moment Bakara was unconcerned with children, being with child she knew she could focus on other things. Wrex, meanwhile, focused on uniting his people under a new Krogan Union that would be ruled by representatives from each clan.

This new Union would control how Tuchanka and the krogan race were ruled, in a new diplomatic way that was still in the experimental phase of development. It had been so long since the krogan had an established form of government that the idea was a little strange to them.

Many krogan, however, were not keen on the name, it reminded them of the Salarian Union, but what better name for a united race of krogan? He - along with other clan representatives - began to set some rules that all krogan were to follow, one of which was to not overpopulate lest they face problems like they did centuries ago.

Children may now be an option for any krogan, but that didn't mean they currently had the resources to take care of a million more children. Tuchanka needed to be fertile once more, it needed to live as the krogan live once more, if they didn't then this chance Shepard gave them would go to waste.

_Shepard..._

Grunt had spent many nights wondering where she was right now. She was alive, he knew that, he had watched the report as her body was found amongst the wreckage in London and she was brought to a hospital. After only a few days, though, she and Garrus dissapeared and no one knew where they were.

He missed her.

Sometimes when he was alone, he thought back to when Shepard released him from the tank. She was so calm, even when he pinned her to the wall, she didn't shoot him. She had her gun aimed in his gut, but she didn't shoot, she didn't need to. The fact she had brought a gun was enough to prove she was a worthy warrior in his eyes.

On the Normandy he spent most of his time below in the Cargo Hold, he didn't go up to see the other crew men and they didn't come to see him. Shepard did though, whenever she had a moment to herself she spent it with her men, but she made her time with Grunt special.

While others would have judged him for what he was or questioned why he was so determined to follow Okeer's forced education, Shepard just listened. He cared for her opinions, even if he didn't entirely agree with them, he still sort of understood where she was coming from.

Perhaps his attitude was what scared the rest of the crew away, he learnt to see the funny side of his enemies deaths. Not even Shepard could stand by and listen to him when he spoke of a turian's execution, she even warned him not to try anything on Garrus. She was so passionate in her argument that he understood what it meant to feel affection -_ love?_ - towards another being.

He had been sad that she had gotten so mad at him over something that - to him at the time - was so simple and natural, killing enemies and revelling in their deaths was what Okeer taught him. Now though, after fighting in a real war, Okeer's education seemed to prove no other purpose than to brainwash him.

He realized it now, war wasn't pretty. He could enjoy fighting, there was no harm in that, but when he was on Utukku and leading Aralakh Company he realized something - he was willing to sacrifice himself. There was nothing in Okeer's education about self-sacrifice, it had always been war and the drive to live.

He offered to stay behind in order to push Shepard onto victory, he didn't know he was going to survive the attack, all he knew was that he wanted his battle master to live - even if it meant giving his own life for the cause. Perhaps what drove him on was what Wrex had once referred to as _'trust'_.

Wrex trusted Shepard so much he allowed the fate of his entire species to be handled by a human, he called Shepard his sister. Grunt called her mother. It was a word he learnt on his own, there was nothing in Okeer's vid's about _'mother'_, so he had to find out why he had such feelings for this woman.

He left the large temple, spotting a crane beside it, probably someone doing some last minute changes. Tuchanka had changed so much since the Reaper Invasion, the Shroud was gone and in its place a giant memorial statue of Shepard, Bakara and Mordin would be erected.

Many more homes had been constructed, very flat and square, deeply resembling something known as an Aztec Temple in design. Each temple had around eight to ten floors, with large square apartments big enough for a krogan family of five. The streets had been repaved and a new Memorial Hospital built.

It was nothing like the Tuchanka Grunt had seen nearly a year ago, when he first stepped onto the desolate planet it was nothing more than a mere shadow of its former self. He spent three months on Tuchanka, training and getting to know the Aralakh Company, before the Reaper's came. As much as he hated to admit it, perhaps the Reapers were the best thing to ever happen to them.

_No,_ he thought. _Shepard's the best thing to ever happen to the krogan._

Grunt made his way to a building that, for the moment, was nothing more than a skeleton. It was going to be much like different to the other temples, he could tell by the design. It was bigger and with a rounded roof. The outside walls had been completed and a few gifted krogan and asari were painting the complete history of the krogan thus far.

Grunt entered the new building, passing builders with loud tools and drills and came to what was to be the Council Hall. Around the top were a row of seats, allowing diplomats to look down at where the round table was to be set up below. Wrex was stood in the centre of the Hall with a salarian, examining some construction design the salarian must have come up with.

Wrex spotted the young krogan and handed the design back to the salarian.

"The designs are fine," he told the salarian. "Keep it up."

"Uh, sure," the salarian nodded once and quickly left the hall.

Grunt stepped aside to let him pass and he noticed the salarian wearing a small smile.

"Do the words of Tuchanka's new leader mean so much they can make a salarian smile?" Grunt joked.

"Don't call me that," Wrex said. "Tuchanka does not have one leader, it will have many."

"How _is_ that going, by the way?" Grunt asked.

He moved over to a work bench table and sat on it, watching as Wrex leaned against the high walls that encircled them.

"Most of the clans have signed onto the Union," Wrex answered. "But we're still having a problem with a few clans like Weyrloc and Jurdon."

"Of course Jurdon would protest," Grunt huffed. "They hate Urdnot."

"It makes no difference if they join us or not," Wrex said. "We still have the majority of Tuchanka on our side. Once the Hall is finished we will have clan representatives come together and finalize our Union."

Wrex examined the hole in the ceiling and noted the sky was still a washed out brown, soon though they were going to fix that too along with everything else. He noticed the young krogan was still there, a look on his face Wrex had seen often in the past nine months.

"I haven't heard from Shepard yet," Wrex told him. "She's hiding under the radar, but knowing her she'll resurface as soon as there's another threat to the galaxy."

"Right," Grunt said as he climbed down from the table.

"Grunt," Wrex called. "I know you're worried about Shepard, but you need to push those feelings aside for the time being. Tuchanka needs you."

"Yes, sir," Grunt obeyed. "Duty first."

Wrex smiled approvingly. "Now that I got your attention," he said, "I can finally tell you why I called you here."

Grunt frowned slightly. Earlier that day he had been awakened by a message from his terminal, Wrex asking for the young krogan to meet him in the Council Hall. If he had not stopped to check back on old messages and reminisce he may have arrived sooner.

"If Tuchanka is to survive and grow stronger we need to face threats both internal and external," Wrex said. "There's going to be people who don't want to see us succeed."

"So you want me to handle these threats?" Grunt assumed.

"Yes, but not alone," Wrex smiled at him. "You're going to lead the new Aralakh Company."

...

**ENTRY 001**

**How do I get this damn thing to work? Bloody Wrex, how is an audio log supposed to help with 'coping with my new stress'. What the hell am I even supposed to talk about? My feelings?! *BEEP* It's already on?! *BEEP* I _do_ miss Shepard, it must sound stupid coming from a krogan, but she was... _*sigh*_ I don't even know what she was.**

**But I have to obey Wrex's orders and push aside my feelings for the best of the Union. In three day's time I will meet my new regiment, the new Aralakh Company... heh, it's like my old's company come back from the dead.**

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Thanks to **Raven_Jadewolfe** who suggested the name of this series. I originally said in my Spectre's fanfic this would be focused on Grunt in the Normandy and his relationship with Shepard, but I decided to extend that and make this my third 'After ME3' fanfics, alongside Seashells and Platform._


	2. Aralakh Grunt

**Chapter Two: Aralakh Grunt**

_Eight?_

Of the thousands of krogan warriors Wrex could have picked, of the dozen Battle Masters and hundred generals and soldiers, after all his research Wrex had picked just eight? That wasn't even half the number of krogan who had served alongside Grunt on Utukku. Including him it made nine, but it didn't make much of a difference.

Aralakh Company had been made of twenty-five strong and brave krogan, all men willing to lay down their lives for the good of the species. These eight... one of them was too young to even be considered a soldier, another was centuries older than Wrex, and two were females.

_Females?!_ Wrex had never even _seen_ a female fight, unless one counted the many times Bakara had head-butted and fired a gun at those who refused to follow her orders. Even worse, one of the females was a non-combatant. Why the hell was she even considered for a place within the new Aralakh Company?

...

_What the hell is Wrex thinking? I wouldn't have a problem with eight seasoned fighters or even eight powerful biotics, but these... **'fighters'** are the worst possible excuse for a team. There's even one from Clan Jurdon, Wrex gave me a krogan who hated everything my clan stands for and he expects me to fight alongside him?_

_How the hell am I supposed to lead them?_

...

Grunt entered the representative hall of the Urdnot Clan, passing busy krogan and salarians and asari and entered the newly furbished office of Wrex. It was strange to think of Wrex having an office, but he was glad it was nothing like one of the offices found on the Citadel.

This one was large with stone walls and an open balcony, not a desk in sight, just many statues of famous krogan and weapons. There were a few plush seats and a carpet, but that was just a feature an asari had added in order to make non-krogan feel comfortable in the foreign environment.

Lined up neatly before Wrex were eight krogan, Grunt's new team. One of them, the oldest of the team, had a pet varren beside him. Wrex spotted the young krogan and waved him on, Grunt came to stand beside Urdnot's leader and he finally got a look at the krogan he had been told of three days ago. He remembered as Wrex explained the details just days ago, a small part of him still couldn't believe such responsibility had been given to him.

_What a victory,_ he thought, _to protect Tuchanka in such a way. I'll be a silent guardian like Vakarian on Omega._

_...  
_

_"Aralakh Company will be reformed as a special black ops unit, known only to the clan leaders of Tuchanka," Wrex had explained. "You will lead eight krogan on a series of infiltration and sabotage missions, to prevent any threats that may face the krogan race."_

_"Eight?" Grunt repeated. "You expect me and eight others to protect the Union?"_

_"A unit so small will not arouse suspicion," Wrex answered. "It's a standard mercenary size. Besides, it's easier for nine krogan to sneak in and out then twenty-five or thirty."_

_"That's another thing," he said, "krogan aren't known for being... stealthy."_

_"You'll have to learn," Wrex ordered. "I and the rest of Tuchanka's leaders are putting the fate of our kind into your hands; if you can't lead eight krogan then you'll never be a leader."_

_Grunt snorted, "I'm no leader," he said. "I'm just a... _grunt_."_

_"Shepard didn't seem to think so," Wrex remarked. "She saw the same potential I see."_

_"That's different," Grunt argued. "Shepard believed in her men."_

_"Then that's what you'll need to do," Wrex retorted. "Believe in your new allies and they'll serve you well."_

_Grunt considered his leader's words for a moment. He sighed and folded his arms over his chest._

_"Alright," he gave in. "For Tuchanka, I'll do this. Now who am I going to lead?"_

_Wrex made a gesture that said _'Not here'_ and Grunt followed him into a secret passage below the Council Hall that led to an emergency bunker, inside it was old and the walls black. It appeared to be part of the Old World, before the nuclear winter._

_No doubt Bakara had a part to play in discovering this place._

_Wrex reached into his armour and pulled out a small silver ball, he flicked a switch and the ball broke into eight different pieces that separated themselves and created eight small projectile images of eight krogan. Each picture was either a military ID or taken from surveillance footage._

_The first krogan he met eyes with was a female a few years older than him judging by the way her fiery orange crests had begun to form and spike. She wore some blackened and scarred family armour that was still faintly red like her eyes. At first he didn't realize she was female, with the armour he automatically assumed it was a male, then he noticed how smooth her jaw was and how her spikes weren't exactly sharp._

_"A female?" Grunt said. "I've never seen a female fight."_

_"What about Bakara?" Wrex said._

_"She's different," Grunt grimaced._

_"Her name is Lotta-Signorina Shay'kera," Wrex announced. "She comes from a unique tribe of all woman that raise the girls from a young age to fight like men, they don't wear robes - unless pregnant. Have you ever heard of Hündin Königin?"_

_"The female warlord?" Grunt asked._

_Wrex nodded, "She once ruled this clan," he answered. "All the women are particularly aggressive, but Shay'kera's worse than all of them."_

_"Why?" Grunt frowned._

_"She's __Königin_'s daughter," Wrex replied.

_"I'll be sure to keep an eye on her," Grunt said._

_The two images beside her appeared to be twins, one krogan - the older one - had solid crests much the same colour as Grunt's, while the other - the younger - had black crests. The older brother had a series of purple tattoos on the left side of his face, like turian markings, while the younger brother was covered in scars that criss-crossed his face and neck._

_The younger brother wore unusual armour, it had strange and odd patterns, almost complicated in design, while the silver-crested brother wore something beyond casual - simple brown trousers and a chest piece, with only his one shoulder covered in armour._

_But what struck Grunt was not the armour or crest colour, but their eyes. They were blue, just like Grunt's._

_"Have you caught on yet?" Wrex asked. "Do you know who these krogan are?"_

_"No, do I need to know?" Grunt retorted._

_"They're Tase'la Steel and Giger," Wrex answered. "But to many they're called the _Okeer_ Twins."_

_Grunt looked at the images again, and this time he realized. "Okeer created them..." he gasped. "But I thought I was the only that survived! I am perfect, I was chosen as his legacy."_

_"You _are_ perfect," Wrex agreed. "Fertile, biotic and with the krogan longevity. Everything the twin's don't have."_

_"But how is that possible?" Grunt asked._

_"They were created twenty-four years before you," Wrex explained. "Around a time when Okeer was fiddling around with DNA, he ended up changing the physiology of the twins. They are krogan, mostly, but whatever else was put inside of them stopped them from living as other krogan do. They'll die within a century."_

_"Why was I never told about them?" Grunt demanded. "I've been here for over a year and you never thought to tell me about them?"_

_"It seemed irrelevant," Wrex responded calmly. "Your problems were bigger than just a couple of long lost brothers."_

_Wrex was right - Grunt had to think of his Rite of Passage, the Collectors, the Reapers, when would he have had the chance to track down his... his_ brothers_ who were on the other side of the galaxy? Well, at least he knew about them now._

_Grunt turned his attention to the next image, a krogan with fully developed deep blue crests and green eyes. By female standards, he would have been attractive. His armour seemed ancient, a family heirloom, judging by the symbol on the chest piece Grunt didn't recognize._

_"Who's the pretty boy?" Grunt asked._

_"Jorgal Aeacus," Wrex introduced._

_"Jorgal?" Grunt repeated. "Aren't they famous for having the longest breeding lines?"_

_"Yeah," Wrex said. "Out of every five females in Clan Jorgal, three were able to reproduce. They let the fame get to their heads."_

_"I'll be sure to not let his head get _too_ big," Grunt said. "It'll make him an easier target."_

_Wrex smirked. Grunt had a sense of humour like Shepard, it seemed a lot of her attitude rubbed off on him._

_The next picture was of a krogan a few centuries older than Wrex, with a faded grey crest that was scarred and hidden by a skull-shaped helmet shaped like a krogan skull. He wore a chest piece bearing the N7 logo that was in the same terrible condition as the helmet._

_Looking at it carefully, Grunt realized the helmet was just a little bit too... _realistic_._

_"That's not a helmet, is it?" Grunt grimaced._

_"No," Wrex laughed at his reaction. "It's the skull of Raik Skoll's father, he thinks it keeps him safe because his Elders are looking out for him. To be honest, Skoll's a tough son of a varren. He fought on Earth during the Reaper Invasion in the N7 Spec Ops. He even took his varren, Hati, with him. He's going to be well over thousand before he croaks."_

_Grunt had a feeling he was going to like the old krogan. He had been fighting since he was a teenager and he would keep fighting until the day he joined the Elders, just what Grunt expected from a clan who was the origin of the word 'Aralakh'._

_Wrex drew Grunt's attention to the next krogan, a young blood of around Grunt's age with crest's that were a strange tone of dark purple. In the image taken from some sort of surveillance feed, it showed the purple krogan speaking with the leader of Clan Jurdon._

_"He's Clan Jurdon?" Grunt snarled. "Are you insane? You expect Jurdon to follow the orders of Urdnot?"_

_"Wróg is different," Wrex argued._

_Grunt snickered and tried to hide his laughter._

_"What?" Wrex frowned._

_"Wróg?" Grunt laughed. "His name is _Wróg?"

_Wrex rolled his eyes, "Yes," he said. "Just meet him before you judge him. And don't laugh at his name."_

_Grunt smirked, "I can't make any promises!"_

_The next krogan was a female in a lushes red robe, her green eyes visible from beneath the hood. Beside the image was a small textbox, in large red text was the words **NON-COMBATANT**. Grunt frowned._

_"Ravanor Adria is not a fighter," Wrex said. "But she is a tech, a damn good one too. You'll need krogan like her."_

Even Shepard's techs knew how to fire a gun,_ Grunt thought._

_"Wait," Grunt said. "_Ravanor?_ As in the Ravanor Mining Company?"_

_"Her clan were a huge help in forming the Union," Wrex explained. "As well as that, the entire clan bank-rolled most of the recon-struction. We need business-oriented clans to help our economy."_

_"So you get on their good side by including her," Grunt realized. "Is that why Jurdon was included?"_

_Wrex nodded._

_The final image was of a young krogan, a few years younger than Grunt actually, and average in appearance with his reddish crest. Grunt thought he recognized the small symbol on the young krogan's neck, burned into the flesh was a half circle with a rising sun in the centre._

_"That's Clan Drau's marking, right?" Grunt asked._

_"You're getting better at recognizing symbols," Wrex remarked. "The kid's name is Durak, the son of a ruzad_ (judge)_. He's a good fighter, but has a lot to learn. He'll be handy, though, with all his political ties."_

_Grunt looked at each face one more time, silently wondering if he was prepared for the new Aralakh Company. They were nothing like his old Company, they were all seasoned veterans who followed orders without questions. These were fighters - mostly - who were from different clans, where there were different rules and different feelings, they were going to be hard to control._

...

Drawing himself back to the present, Grunt noticed each of his new soldiers were looking at him expectantly. Of them all, only Steel and Giger seemed interested in their new leader. Skoll was looking at Shay'kera, while the others seemed more interested in the room and in Wrex.

Grunt didn't like being ignored.

He drew his shot gun and fired a round in the sky, Dura and Adria jumped at the loud bang, and all eyes snapped to the Pure Krogan. Grunt smirked and lowered his weapon, but didn't holster it. He may still have need of it later.

"You all know why you're here," Grunt said. "You're the best of your clans and that's why you was chosen, but that doesn't mean anything now. As soon as you take up arms to fight in Aralakh Company you are no longer Jurdon or Jorgal or Raik - you are krogan! You are part of Tuchanka! And as krogan your duty is to our people, to protect and preserve. That is what it means to be krogan, to be a soldier, and I won't tolerate failure!"

He watched each of Aralakh Company's reaction, the younger ones were easily impressionable, the older ones not so much. Skoll seemed somewhat impressed, but only as much as a man who had heard better speeches and had something to compare it too. Steel had the same impression.

Shay'kera, on the other hand, took a step forward and pressed crossed her arms over her chest to form an X, both of her fists lay pressed down over the space above her two hearts.

"If that is the attitude of Aralakh then I'll discard the name Lotta-Signorina," she announced. "From now on, I shall be Aralakh Shay'kera. A krogan. A fighter. A weapon for you to use, Aralakh Grunt."

"I like the way she talks," Wróg took a step forwards and copied her gesture. "Aralakh Wróg, reporting for duty."

Slowly, the others copied, as if Shay'kera had opened a flood gate. Grunt smiled and copied his men, declaring with a leader's tone:

"As Aralakh we will protect our kind, unseen and powerful. We are not nine krogan, but one powerful force, and the day Aralakh dies is the day Tuchanka has no use of us."

Aralakh Company let out a mighty battle cry and raised their fists in the air, chanting in a booming voice _'Aralakh! __Aralakh!_' over and over again until it filled the room. Wrex took a step back to admire the proud look on Grunt's face, the first of many victories the young krogan would experience.

_If only Shepard could see him now,_ he smiled. _She would be proud of her baby._

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_A big thanks to TW6464 for informing me of the N7 Spec Ops, I never really played Multiplayer because of my crappy connection so I wasn't aware of the role they played in the Reaper Invasion. Without TW6464 I wouldn't have been able to flesh out Skoll's background as well._

_Also, do krogan come from eggs? I know Wrex says Bakara is 'with child', but does that mean she carries the egg and then lays it? I'm not sure, I'd like to think they do hatch like cute little turtles, but does anyone know?_

_Please review and tell me what you think of the new Aralakh Company. I know some readers have a poor opinion of OCs, so I've tried to be careful with my creations - especially Giger and Steel, because they were my first ME OCs. As for the other OCs they all come from canon clans, found within the ME universe._

_So please tell me what you think of them all._


	3. The Dalatrass' Revenge

**Chapter Three: The Dalatrass' Revenge**

Grunt examined the rounded lump that was Bakara's stomach, noticing the way the flesh moved as the thing inside shifted ever so slightly. Gingerly, he crept forwards and laid a hand down on the warm and swollen stomach, feeling the baby inside. It was to be a new life, the first of many.

The child inside would be the first of a new generation, the new krogan race who would learn from the mistakes of their Elders. This child would look back at its Elders mistakes and will know that it will not make the same mistakes.

The thing inside kicked.

Grunt quickly removed his hand and pulled a face, "It kicked me! Gross!"

Wrex laughed, "Wait until its born," he teased. "There'll be blood and-"

"I'm used to blood," Grunt said. "But babies? That's something else entirely."

"There'll be plenty of them soon enough," Wrex pointed out. "You'll have no choice but to get used to them."

"Are you still going to call it Mordin?" he asked.

"Yes," Bakara said firmly. "It's not debatable."

Wrex held up his hands, "I wasn't going to argue."

A female krogan entered the room, carrying a data pad. Bakara covered her large stomach and left the room with the other female. Wrex left the women to see to business and realized there was business he and Grunt needed to discuss.

"Now that Bakara is out of the room we can talk about Aralakh Company," he said.

"Doesn't Bakara know about my new assignment?" Grunt asked.

"No," Wrex replied. "The other leaders agreed to keep it between ourselves."

"I get it," he said. "No one's allowed to know, not even Bakara. So what is it you want to talk about?"

"The Dalatrass is coming to Tuchanka," Wrex informed him. "She has plans to help fix our atmosphere, but..."

"The bitch tried to convince Shepard to sabotage our cure!" Grunt growled. "Why the hell are we allowing her on our planet? Actually, scratch that, how is she still Dalatrass after what she did?"

"What happened was a verbal agreement," Wrex explained. "The Dalatrass didn't actually sabotage the Shroud. She just told Shepard that about it. And now with it gone, we can't even prove it even _was_ sabotaged. All we have is Shepard's word."

"And that should be enough!" Grunt argued. "Shepard told everyone about the Reapers and they didn't listen, she saved us all and yet people still doubt her!"

"It's the way the universe works," Wrex said. "It's run by damn bureaucrats - if you got a problem they want evidence before they do anything. Someone's word isn't good enough."

"It should be," Grunt huffed.

"Well, it isn't!" Wrex snapped. "That's why the Union reformed Aralakh Company, because we don't have time to spare on paperwork. You follow your gut on this case, got it?"

"So you want me to follow the Dalatrass?" Grunt asked.

"I want you to investigate," Wrex corrected. "Keep an eye on her, if you spot anything suspicious you immediately report to me... or take the situation into your own hands if necessary."

Grunt would have preferred to wring the skinny salarian's neck and choke the lies out of her, but that was the way of the old krogan. Now they had to be a bit more diplomatic about the whole situation, they couldn't just arrest her without evidence. It would set a bad example.

They needed proof, evidence, and Grunt was going make damn sure he got it.

...

"This feels... unnecessary."

Not far from the Senate stood the Shaman's Guild, another of the many new buildings that was just a little bit more special. Clan leaders and Shaman had always worked closely together; the Union wasn't going to change that. A Clan leader had requested the Shaman's have their own place of business, some place where they could overlook the new progress in peace.

So the Shaman's Guild was giiven a building much smaller than the Senate, but with many more hidden traps and tunnels. Inside the collective knowledge and history of the krogan were to be kept, along with all other records of importance and kept under a tight and secure system.

Bakara had her own office, or rather her own 'Space' as she refused to refer to the musky and somewhat small room as an office. A crib and play pen had been set up in the corner, ready for the new arrival. Wrex had even made the child a Shepard-like doll.

"Wrex told us to keep an eye on you," Durak said. "With the Dalatrass visiting, he was worried about what might happen."

"Why would the Dalatrass come after me?" Bakara asked.

"Um, because you gave the krogan back the ability to breed?" Adria said. "All over Tuchanka krogan are calling you the _'True Mother'_."

"I was just one of three," Bakara argued. "If not for Mordin and Shepard, we would never have seen a new child."

"We can't disobey orders," Durak said. "I'm sorry, but for now we'll be at your side."

Bakara snorted, "As if the Dalatrass would be foolish enough to face me," she said. "I'd cut her in two."

Durak grimaced, were all females this scary?

...

_ENTRY 003_

_The Dalatrass will be here in two days. Wrex already assigned two of my Company to attend to Bakara. Good call. I would have done the same. There's also no guarantee that Wrex won't be attacked, so I'm putting him and the rest of the Clan Leaders into the care of Giger, Aeacus and *snicker* Wróg._

_I'll be investigating whatever the Dalatrass is bringing to Tuchanka, something to 'fix' our atmosphere. Yeah right. It feels too much like another Shroud scheme. It doesn't matter, with Skoll, Steel and Shay'kera investigating with me we should cover more ground and figure out what she has planned._

_It's funny, whenever I think of Shay'kera I think of a mythical race Shepard once told me about. The Amazonians. If she was from Earth she would probably be called an Amazonian._

...

As Tuchanka opened up to a new day, something appeared in the sky, something that wasn't krogan. For a split second Grunt thought it was a Reaper, he had been seeing them in his dreams even after nine months and deep down feared they would return to take someone away from him again.

But it wasn't a Reaper. It was the Dalatrass' ship, which was just bad. Both the Reapers and Dalatrass had come close to wiping out the krogan, and Grunt wasn't too keen on having either of them on his planet. But orders were orders, even if he didn't like them.

The ship was huge, nothing like the smaller vessels that had been dropping off the salarian architects and builders over the last months. Smaller ships followed it, reminding Grunt of a deep sea predator being followed by scavengers.

Behind it came another ship, something very much like a human airship. He remembered Shepard showing him footage of the infamous Hindenburg Disaster; he could just imagine the salarians deploying this 'token of friendship' in the same bloody fashion.

From up high in an office suite, Grunt and his men watched as the large vessel landed and the Dalatrass left the beautiful ship. Followed by a small army, she approached the Krogan Union with a smile that was as fake as her sincerity. As she shook hands with Wrex, Grunt caught sight of his three Aralakh team-mates in the background, wearing the new standard security uniform.

"Will three be enough?" Shay'kera asked.

"It's three Aralakh and thirty other guards," Steel replied. "I think the Union is in good hands."

"How many of the guards are biotic?" Skoll asked.

"Including Aralakh," Steel said, "that'd be nineteen. We only have five biotics and currently we're all spread out rather nicely, with at least one in each assignment."

"It doesn't matter whether your biotic or tech, what matters is how you handle a gun," Skoll remarked dryly.

"Enough chat, ladies," Grunt ordered. "We need to get on-board that air ship."

"It won't be easy," Shay replied. "As long as we're gathering information we have no authority to get on-board."

"We don't need authority," Grunt smirked. "We're krogan, that should be good enough."

Skoll chuckled, "And here I thought you young bloods had no fire in you."

...

Wrex and the Union led the Dalatrass and her men into the Senate and gave them a grand tour of the new establishment, it was a risk to show them the building in such a state - things could be added or removed, it could even be sabotaged by weakened pillars or put under surveillance.

But if they were going to impress the Citadel Council they needed to take a few risks.

The three members of Aralakh Company followed the crowd, blended in with the rest of the security. The uniforms were a dark blue with the new symbol of security, an upside sword with a half crescent moon curving over the top. The symbol would soon be integrated into the military as well, as soon as the military was properly reformed.

The Dalatrass and a few of her men entered the Senate Hall with the Union; half of the security guarded the inside while the other half remained outside. Giger sent Aeacus inside, as a biotic with the ability to shield he would be best to have inside.

"Do you really think the Dalatrass will try something today, of all days?" Wrog asked. "She can't do_ anything_ without setting off alarm bells."

"She won't do it today or tomorrow," Giger responded. "What she has planned, it's delayed, it has to be."

Wróg considered that for a moment, "So what is she planning?"

Giger scowled at him, "If I knew that don't you think I'd be out there trying to stop it?"

...

"The Dalatrass had arrived."

Bakara glanced up and then returned to her work, she seemed hardly bothered by the announcement. She gathered some ancient scrolls up in her arm and searched for some other item. With the Dalatrass' arrival the Shaman were to gather and discuss what exactly she and the salarians had planned.

They knew she wanted to fix the atmosphere, but the last time they tried to help maintain it they sabotaged the Shroud to stop the krogan from finding a way to utilise its power to cure the Genophage. But judging from Bakara's reaction, she hardly seemed to care the Dalatrass was on her own home world.

"You are aware you two will not be allowed into the Guild's hall?" she said.

"Yes," Adria replied. "But we ran it by security and we are allowed to serve as temporary out post guards. They assume we're your bodyguards."

"Well, you technically are," Bakara remarked. "Now where-" she froze and grunted in pain.

Adria ran to her, "Are you okay?" she asked. "What is it? The baby?"

Bakara groaned in pain and dropped the scrolls onto the table. Another pain rocked her body, throwing her to the ground. She clutched her stomach, Durak went to help her, she stopped him with a wave of her hand. Bakara took a series of long deep breaths, and slowly calmed.

"I'm fine," she said. "The child kicked, that's all. I'm..."

"Bakara?" Adria said quietly. "I... think your water broke."

...

Approaching the air ship, the four krogan flashed the workman seal on their shoulders - a simple hammer and chisel crossed over into an X - and they were led by a salarian tech into the main part of the ship, a large structure with a series of ladders and runways where around them several other workers could be seen.

"For now you only have authorization to work in the first to third sectors," the salarian said. "Sectors four to eight require a higher level of access and sectors nine to twelve are under construction. For now stick your sectors and help with repairs."

"Yes, sir," Grunt saluted.

The salarian left without a second glance and the four members of Aralakh Company were left to explore the ship. Grabbing four spare workmen's uniform was easy enough, especially with the access Grunt now had to all of the Union's new work sectors. All he needed was an opportunity and what better one than workers required for the airship.

"The ship's taking off," Skoll said.

"It is?" Shay asked.

"Yeah," Steel replied. "I can feel it, the slight shift of movement. It's an air shift, so it works on an old fashioned air-propulsion system. Even so, they've improved the design, giving it a smoother take-off."

"You know a quite a lot about ships," Shay remarked.

"I live on a ship, that's why," he said.

Grunt led the way through the ship, carefully observing each worker and on the lookout for anything suspicious. At a time as crucial as this, his new team still found time to chat. _Just like humans,_ he thought, _they talk too damn much._

"Wrex assigned us krogan who don't even live on Tuchanka?" she frowned. "And where does Giger live? On this ship too?"

Steel laughed, "Giger on the Alkoras?! That's a good one!"

"So where _does_ he live?" Skoll asked, drawn to the conversation.

"An experimental colony called 'Equality'," Steel answered. "It's for mixed-race couples, created some time before the Reaper Invasion. It got hit pretty bad, but Giger and a few others managed to hold the line."

"What about you?" Skoll asked. "When the Reapers came, was the... _Alkoras_... and her crew drafted into battle?"

"Yeah and everyone else on board too, well... except for our chef," Steel replied. "He stayed on-board with my captain, the rest of us were separated and put into different units or in a tech team or a med-corps."

"Is now really the time to discuss this?" Grunt asked them. "We're supposed to be looking for something that could implement the Dalatrass."

"You mean like that?" Shay'kera asked, pointing to a large door marked **UNSAFE**. For some reason, it seemed as good a place as any to start searching.

They approached the tightly sealed door and allowed Shay'kera to work her magic, keeping an eye out for any workers or guards. There seemed to be plenty of people about, but the Dalatrass clearly didn't see the danger of allowing a few guards to take longer than necessary breaks.

The door opened with a loud pop and they quickly entered the dark room. The door creaked shut behind them and the room was suddenly lit by four large lights, illuminating a large cylinder-like object in the centre of the room, containing a strange off-red liquid.

"What is this?" Skoll asked.

"Probably the formula the salarians designed to clean our atmosphere," Steel answered. "But I can't be sure, not until we run some kind of test on the material."

"None of us possess the right equipment," Shay responded. "Only Adria could and she's with Bakara."

"Just take a sample and send the results to her," Grunt ordered. "It should be good enough."

"Okay," Steel said, "let's hope this works."

He went over to a small terminal and hacked the system with his Omni-tool, quickly bypassing the security protocols and defence systems.

"I thought Adria was the tech," Grunt remarked.

"I have a new hacking tool installed into my Omni-tool," Steel explained. "It's still in the developmental phase, but it's doing a good job of tearing through the salarians defence."

He side-stepped a virus and a sweep, destroyed a firewall and eventually broke through and found a composed list of elements and materials, many of which he didn't recognize. There were some more files attached to the suspicious ingredients, he was sure to save a copy.

"Adria," Grunt called her. "We've just sent you a list of... something, I'm not sure what yet. Can you tell us what this stuff is used for?"

"... Uh, can this wait?" she asked. "I've got a bit of a situation."

"Situation?" Grunt repeated. "What happened? Is Bakara alright?"

"She's... fine?" Adria said uncertainly. "I'm not sure, she's just gone into labour and none of us know what to do!"

...

Despite Durak and Adria's panicking, Bakara was calm and very much composed. She removed her robes, despite the great pain she was suffering, and laid them down on the floor. She then took her hood and handed it to Durak and proceeded to remove the rest of her clothes and set them neatly aside.

"Adria, put Grunt on speaker," she ordered.

"O-okay," Adria nodded weakly.

"I am fine, Grunt," Bakara told him. "Weakened, perhaps, but able. Now read the list to Adria, as I doubt she can see straight let alone read." She turned to Durak. "You, help me give birth."

"R-right," Durak said. "What do I need to do?"

"Hold my hand and don't cry out when I squeeze," she ordered.

Adria quickly left the room and found several other Shamans waiting outside, apparently waiting for Bakara to join the meeting.

"Bakara has gone into labour," she told them. "Continue with your meeting, please, she would not want to interrupt your business."

One or two looked concerned, but they slowly moved on and dissapeared into the Guild Hall. Adria turned her attention back to the Omni-tool, trying her best to ignore the pained cries that begun to grow in pitch behind her.

"So what did you find?" she asked.

A small list appeared on her Omni-tool, but Grunt read out each ingredient just to be sure she took everything in. Adria composed the list in her head, thinking of each chemical and its effect. She knew a fair bit about chemicals and effects from her time in a lab, working under a salarian scientist during the Reaper War.

"Well?" he asked. "What is it? Is it bad?"

"It's definitely not good," Adria confirmed. "I'm not sure what a few of them are, but I do recognize many of them as infectious mutations."

"What do they do?" Steel asked.

"They attack certain cells in the body and will only take full effect after several years," Adria explained. "Think of them as sleeper agents, taking so long to react no one even realizes they're a threat. They'll still do harm, but at such a small scale no one will notice them."

"This sounds all very familiar," Shay'kera said. "I hear 'infectious mutations' and all I can think of is the Genophage."

"Could this be used to implement a new Genophage?" Steel asked.

"Certainly," she said, "there _is_ krogan DNA within the formula, which could only mean this stuff is fine-tuned to affect us in some way. There's no way to deny it, this thing is dangerous and you need to get it to Wrex right now!"

In the background Bakara's cries grew more strained, filled with hurt, but she was holding back. She was hurting more than she wanted Durak and Adria to know, just like what any krogan would do.

"Destroy that formula," Adria ordered. "Then go show Wrex your findings. I have to see to Bakara."

She closed the line and re-entered the chamber, Bakara had squeezed Durak's fingers so hard his talons had bent at a strange angle. Adria quickly went to Durak's side, checking the opening, and saw a small head with the tiniest trace of a crest.

...

"So how do we destroy it?"

Steel checked the files he had uncovered, searching for any answer. "The batch must be kept at a lukewarm temperature or else it will go bad," he announced. "Just mess with the cooling system."

"Easily done," Grunt smirked.

He stormed over to the terminal and easily found his target, he turned up the heat and watched as the liquid boiled and hissed. A warning flashed on the terminal. They ignored it.

"We have to get this to Wrex, quickly," Steel said. "I can just send it to him, or we-"

"We can't charge in, not without giving away the existence of our company," Grunt said. "We have to be careful."

"Aww, so no fire-fights?" Steel smirked. "Shame, I was looking forwards to putting a bullet in her head. But this should do."

...

The Dalatrass had been talking for a long time now, ever since they entered the Council's Hall she did nothing but talk and talk about fixing the krogan-salarian relationship, about the benefits the friendship would have for both sides, and some other thing Wrex hadn't been listening too.

As she spoke, Wrex's Omni-tool lit up. He ignored it and tried to shut it down, when every other Krogan Union Leader's own devices lit up and a large message appeared on the terminals. The Dalatrass frowned and her guards reacted and shifted, reaching for their arms.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Maybe..." Wrex said. "Tell me again, what does that air balloon do again?"

"It's designed to repair your atmosphere, erasing whatever maybe left of the toxic fumes of your nuclear winter," she answered.

"Really?" Wrex smirked and turned the terminal to her. "So what does this mean?"

She stared at the message and even her men looked shocked at the accusation.

**THE DALATRASS IS A TRAITOR.**

The message flashed and the screen changed, showing an old vid that had blotchy corners and a fuzzy image. Clearly it had been reconstructed from old vids that had been white-washed and corrupted. It was hard to see, but the Dalatrass' voice and robes were unmistakable.

_"You're sure this will work?" _she could be heard saying.

_"Yes," _said the other figure, the voice somehow familiar._ "We had our researchers examine the Genophage Cure and found a way to counteract it. Bear in mind if you initialise this it will take years to take full effect."_

_"That's fine," _she said._ "When the truth is eventually discovered my air balloon will be gone and the blame will be placed on Shepard. She **was** the last person to work on it. But I have to ask, why don't you just use it yourself?"_

_"It's not my style," _he said,_ "besides you benefit from it far greater than Cerberus ever could."_

The vid froze there and it became clearer, the other figure, a human figure with blue eyes. The Illusive Man. The Dalatrass had made a deal with Cerberus when she knew Shepard wasn't going to sabotage the cure, the Illusive Man must have given it to her before he died and she was just picking her moment.

Accusing gazes fell onto the Dalatrass and even several of her guards had turned their weapons on her. Aeacus shifted his stance, feeling his biotic energy gather in the palms of his hands. He caught Wrex's eye and readied himself for what came next.

"This... these accusations are false!" she declared. "The vid has clearly been faked."

"Then explain how our workers found a suspicious batch containing chemicals used to specifically target krogan?" Wrex asked. "You wouldn't need 'infectious mutations' targeted at krogans to fix our atmosphere. Now, tell the truth!"

"The truth?" she hissed. "The truth is that the Genophage should have killed you!"

"Dalatrass-"

"No!" she screamed. "There's no denying it! Why hide it? You... _creatures_ are the scourge of the galaxy, worse than vorcha and even lower than varren! When the Reapers came they should have destroyed every single last one of you!"

...

"Almost there! C'mon, Bakara! Just one more push!"

The Shaman pushed, Durak's fingers broke, and a small bundle was released onto the robes of its mother. Adria took the hood and wrapped the tiny baby up in the smooth material, it squirmed and protested against the foreign feelings around it and cried.

Bakara took a deep breath and released Durak's hand, he winced and examined the damage of his bloody talons. She watched as Adria wiped the baby's face clean of the blood, she smiled at the new life and handed him over to his mother.

He was small and tiny, with smooth and soft plates that were a type of pale orange colour with the faintest patches of grey/blue. Over time they would darken and become red and the grey would become dark blue like her own crests, his eyes - which were large and bright - were orange, like his father's.

She looked at him for a long time as she thought of the salarian whose life had been sacrificed to give the krogan a future, the salarian who had cared for her and made sure nothing bad happened to her. He gave everything for the krogan - a _salarian._ If someone had told her a hundred years ago that a salarian and a human would save her species she never would have believed it.

"Have you picked a name?" Adria asked.

"Yes," Bakara said proudly. "We're going to call him... Mordin."

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_I did a lot of research before writing this chapter, because I didn't know if krogan laid eggs or not. After checking a lot of forums and threads, it seems the general opinion is that krogan give birth to live offspring because of how Okeer and Mordin and other krogan in general refer to miscarriages and stillborn births._

_Besides a live birth is just so much more dramatic._


	4. Vindication

**Chapter Four: Vindication**

"Shit... the Dalatrass has lost it."

On-board the air ship Grunt and his small team had listened to the whole thing, the Dalatrass' break down had been broadcasted as far as the Terminus System. Live and uncensored, everyone everywhere knew what she had done and who she had tried to blame it on.

The Salarian Union was scrambling to fix the situation, but there was nothing they could do. In the Citadel the Council were listening to her confession and the Salarian Councillor was getting a little uncomfortable. He didn't know of the betrayal, but he knew well how it was going to look.

_"-worse than vorcha and even lower than varren! When the Reapers came they should have destroyed every single last one of you!"_

Grunt wasn't sure what annoyed him the most, the fact the Dalatrass was going to make the krogan suffer further or that she was going to place the blame on Shepard. She was a hero of the galaxy, even the batarians were singing her praise, and the Dalatrass was going to dishonour her memory by painting her as a villain?

Unacceptable! He was going to make damn sure she paid.

"Hey, check this out," Steel called their attention over to a live-vid of the event.

"What should I be looking at?" Grunt asked. "The angry krogan or the pissed off salarians?"

"I was thinking you should look at the female Shaman who just entered the room," Steel smirked.

Grunt saw her then. At the hall's entrance was Bakara, a tiny bundle in her arms.

...

The Council Hall had fallen silent at Bakara's entrance; even the Dalatrass had held her tongue. The _'True Mother'_ of the krogan race had more power over others than even she knew. She walked straight past the Dalatrass and up to Wrex, a smile barely visible on her face as she handed him his first son.

He wanted to question her bloody robes and where Adria and Durak were, but at the sight of the baby krogan wrapped in what was once her hood, he didn't care. All that mattered was the boy in his arms, a boy the Dalatrass had tried so hard to not bring into the world.

"I heard every single word you said, Dalatrass," Bakara turned to the depraved salarian. "And I ask you to look at that child and tell me he doesn't deserve the chance at life your own children do. Shepard wouldn't do your work and for that my son lives, but you wanted to torture thousands of others by denying them life! Do you see the error of your ways?"

The Dalatrass looked at the squirming bundle, his large eyes and little talons, pudgy and soft. In time his crests will harden and he will learn the way of his people, he will grow up quickly as all krogan do, but he will not be a merc or a bounty hunter.

He will be something better.

The Dalatrass looked at him for a second longer before turning her eyes on his mother and said, "No. I don't regret my decision or my actions, because I know that your son will be like all other krogan - dangerous and uncontrollable - and one day the galaxy will realize I was right."

"Then you have made your decision," Bakara said, and delivered an almighty head-butt to the Dalatrass.

She staggered back wildly as blood oozed from a jagged wound on her forehead; she tripped over her robe and hit the ground hard. A moment passed and no one came to her aid, they left her there to bleed on the floor. Eventually one salarian remembered his duty and he called in a Med Corps.

They took her away, down to the prison where she would be contained until her fate was to be decided.

"True Mother of Krogan," one salarian spoke up. "We're terribly sorry for what happened, but I can promise you the Dalatrass will be punished."

"Take away her title," Bakara suggested. "To her it'll be a fate worse than death."

The salarian smirked, "Perhaps that will be required," he agreed.

Bakara turned back to her mate, other krogan leaders had come to see the new child and she could all see the shared joy. Doubts had been erased, hope rekindled, the krogan were truly able to live again. And it was all because of a salarian and a human.

The Old Krogan would never have believed it.

...

Steel and Giger arrived at the bar and took seat besides the rest of Aralakh Company in a large booth. It had been so long since Tuchanka had had a _real_ bar, not just some tavern for mercs, but a real bar just like the ones Steel had been to on Illium and Earth.

There was even a classy-looking jukebox in the corner, but at the moment it was playing some old Earth song Skoll seemed to recognize. The bar tender was cheerful and had hired an asari waitress. There was even a turian chef out back. Things were really changing. Nine months ago a turian would never dare to come to Tuchanka to work.

"Drinks are on me!" Steel announced. "We should celebrate the success of our first assignment in style."

"But we didn't _do_ anything," Durak said sadly. "I was expecting fire fights and exotic planets when I joined this Company."

"You're young," Skoll said, "you'll learn soon enough."

Steel called over to the waitress and ordered some ryncol. As she hurried to prepare nine glasses of the deadly drink, Steel glanced at the young Durak.

"Are you even old enough to drink this stuff?" he asked.

"Let him have some," Aeacus smirked. "It'll put some spikes on his crest."

_"Come writers and critics Who prophesize with your pen _

_And keep your eyes wide _

_The chance won't come again."_

"I do agree with Durak, though," Giger said. "I expected more from our first assignment."

"Circumstances have us hiding in the shadows," Shay'kera replied. "We can expect more missions when we are required to hide and pretend we are something we are not."

"Does it matter?" Grunt asked. "We didn't pull the trigger but we still stopped the Dalatrass. We saved the krogan race from another Genophage. Stop griping about the politics and be grateful that we did what others couldn't."

Skoll smirked, "I can see why you were chosen to lead us," he remarked. "I guess when you serve under Commander Shepard some of her fiery spirit rubs off."

"Did you ever meet her?" Shay'kera asked Skoll. "I heard she was a great woman."

"I heard many stories," Skoll replied. "But I never had the same chance Grunt did."

The waitress appeared with nine shots of the green and deadly ryncol. Durak eyed the drink carefully and watched as the Skoll and Steel knocked it back without a second glance, Shay and Giger were a little more hesitant, while Adria had somehow dumped the contents of her drink back into Steel's glass without his noticing.

_"And don't speak too soon _

_For the wheel's still in spin _

_And there's no tellin' who _

_That it's namin'."_

"I'm going to get some more drinks," Steel drunk his refilled glass and went to the bar, Giger quickly following.

"Something wrong?" Steel asked.

"Just wanted to ask if you were planning to go back to the Alkoras anytime soon," Giger replied.

Steel gave his brother a quizzing look, "_R-ight_," he rolled his eyes. "And here I thought you wanted to talk about Grunt."

Giger gave the tank born a sideways glance, "He knows who we are, doesn't he?" he asked.

"Of course," Steel said. "Wrex told us he would have no choice but to tell Grunt if we accepted this position."

"What should we do?" Giger asked. "We stayed out of his way so far, now though..."

"The talk _will_ come, brother," Steel assured him. "Just don't push it; our baby brother will come for us when he's ready."

Steel patted his brother's shoulder and took the tray of drinks back to the booth. Giger stood there for a moment or two, noticing the similarities between Grunt and Steel. The similarities were deep, not just skin deep, how long before Grunt decided to confront them about the truth?

_"For the loser now _

_Will be later to win _

_For the times they are a-changin'."_

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Song is credited to Bob Dylan, seemed appropriate considering this little conclusion. Sorry for the slow update, I returned to school some time ago and it got a little stressful, but everything's sorted now. I'll try to keep the updates weekly._


	5. Cry Murder

**Chapter Five: Cry Murder**

Baby Mordin lay in his crib, a sweet-looking woven basket carefully put together piece by-piece-by an Elder who had never had children, but had always kept a crib in the hopes of witnessing the arrival of a new krogan era. Now it belonged to Mordin and his parents, and he appeared rather content.

Krogan developed fast, whereas human babies took months to learn to crawl and walk and talk, baby krogan's accomplished this feat much quicker. Much like asari, they developed fast and lived for many years. It was one of the many benefits that had helped them.

If Wrex had not been allowed to live for so many years then the alliance between Shepard and the krogan would never have happened, and where would the krogan be now? Thinking on the subject, Grunt wondered how Steel and Giger coped with the knowledge they would die so much sooner.

Perhaps they took comfort in the fact they had partners who lived short lives also, then again, a partner wasn't a permanent set-up. He wondered if they ever worried about such a thing. He knew he would, he would try to accomplish as much as he could within the short time he had.

Young Mordin chewed on the head of his wooden toy, the basket sat comfortably on his father's desk. Wrex had insisted the child stay within at least his or Bakara's sight, he didn't want anything happening to the heir of the krogan's future. It was fair to assume the new generation of krogan parents would be fairly protective.

Wrex had gathered Adria, Grunt, Steel and Shay'kera to his office and handed them a new assignment. It seemed simple enough, though Grunt doubted it would be as simple as he assumed. Though his previous task appeared simple, what happened relied heavily on his own decisions.

He hid and gave the universe the information necessary to finally put down the Dalatrass - who had now been stripped of her title and was due to be executed as a traitor to the Citadel Council's Agreement - whereas if he had blindly attacked he and Aralakh would have been compromised.

Nothing was simple, what appeared simple was just a great task seen within a smaller frame of mind. A simple task was for the weak, a puzzle was a simple task. Protecting the krogan race was the greatest task anyone had ever been handed. At least, that's what he thought.

"With the Dalatrass' betrayal now out in the open a lot of attention has been put on us," Wrex announced. "They know we requested she have her title removed, which makes us look bigger for not demanding her death, but they will kill her on their own authority so that's good too."

Mordin made a gurgling noise, a small smile passed Wrex's face as he glanced at his son.

"Since we've got all this attention we've decided to make some use of it," Wrex continued. "You're going to accompany Adria to Illium, as security, to help secure a business opportunity with several powerful interspecies companies that are meeting at a convention. If Adria succeeds in doing business then that's more jobs for our people and a boost to the economy."

"Adria is a business woman?" Shay'kera asked sceptically.

"She's the heir to the Ravanor Industries, Tuchanka's greatest mining company," Wrex confirmed. "She hasn't spent much time on Tuchanka because of the travelling that comes with the job, but trust me, I've seen her do business."

"It sounds simple enough," Steel remarked. "Except you wouldn't need us for something simple. Why so many guards for a simple convention?"

Wrex smirked and even Grunt was surprised at how quickly Steel caught on. Of course this assignment wasn't going to be easy, there was something else going on that required the presence of two powerful biotics and a skilled fighter. Grunt could think of only one thing.

"Is there some sort of rivalry we should be aware of?" Shay'kera asked.

"It could be a business rivalry," Wrex replied, "but at the moment we're unsure of what exactly is going on. All we know is that whenever a new business comes into town the CEO or heir or whoever else is in charge is killed and the company is absorbed without much effort."

"Any suspects?" Steel asked.

"Not really," Wrex said. "A detective named Anaya has one suspect in mind, but because of the suspect's relations it's difficult to lay any charges without risking her own life."

"Give us the suspect's name," Steel said. "We'll take a look into it."

"Enthusiastic," Wrex smirked. "Good. I have a ship prepared for you, just go down to the space port and take it. Be sure to keep me informed. I want this to go as smoothly as possible."

...

_Illium, Masnachu Convention Hall_

Detective Anaya stood just beyond the blue _'DO NOT CROSS'_ sign and watched as a body was wheeled out of the hall's back doors. Inside a team went to work, taking blood samples and eyewitness accounts. For now, the convention was cancelled until the killer could be brought to justice.

Anaya just wished they would cancel the bloody event. For the past ten years the three day convention was concluded with at least one murder. She remembered one convention, five years ago, when over those three days six people had been murdered.

It was proving difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of death, official reports stated it was a heart attack, but Anaya knew better. They died of haemorrhaging in the brain and Anaya knew of only creature capable of such a feat - but could there really be an Ardat-Yakshi on Illium?

She didn't want to believe it, but who else could kill their victims in such a brutal way? And it all made sense, each victim had been found in isolated areas and had been seen with an asari just minutes before death. The asari in question, however, was always just out of view.

Her skin colour, on the other hand, was instantly recognizable making her easy to identify. Her skin was one of the rarest tones, an almost sort of off red tone. Anaya only knew one asari with skin that colour, a beautiful asari with lush patterns on her brow.

Bella Morte: the daughter of Morte Industries, one of the biggest companies on all of Illium with business on every planet, even as far as Earth. To accuse Bella of being an Ardat-Yakshi and the killer of her mother's competitors would surely have Anaya facing a _very_ early grave, and then what would happen?

Anaya would disappear and no one would care, and Bella could continue killing without facing any opposition. What could Anaya do but wait and hope for a miracle?

...

Hours before the murder and Anaya's fear of her life, the small assembly of Aralakh Company arrived at a grand hotel and settled in before they were to leave for the Masnachu Convention Hall. They were not to put business on hold, if they were to secure new business partners and have any hope of uncovering the killer then they needed to get to work.

Steel examined the large and grand apartment, noting the size of the beds and the view of Illium just beyond the balcony. It was indeed grand, expensive too, it had been some time since he had been in a room as beautiful and well-designed as this.

"This room seems a little over the top," Shay'kera commented. "The colours hurt my eyes too."

"What? You don't like stupidly over the top pink?" Steel teased.

She glared at him.

"The colour scheme is a little off," Steel agreed. "But it's not bad, not great though."

Grunt spotted Adria standing in the corner, starring out at the balcony and its view. He ignored Steel and Shay'kera and approached his young comrade. It was no surprise she was a little shaken by the news, all sorts of horrible thoughts must have been running through her mind.

"Don't worry," Grunt assured her. "We won't let this killer get you."

"I trust you to protect me," Adria said, "but I don't trust myself to not fall into trouble. What if I... I don't know... get chummy with the killer and then he kills me?"

"The killer could be a she," Grunt remarked.

"That doesn't help..." she grimaced.

"Don't worry about doing something stupid," he said. "You're a smart krogan, if you wasn't you wouldn't be here. Just follow your gut, that's what Shepard taught me."

"You really looked up to her, didn't you?" Adria said.

He just nodded in response.

"Should we get going?" Shay'kera asked. "We've only got a few minutes before it starts."

"And we want to make a good impression, right?" Steel added.

"O-okay," Adria tried to hide her fear. "Let's go."

...

They hailed a cab and flew to the Masnachu Convention Hall and Grunt took the moment of calm to inform them of the only suspect. Wrex had done some research before sending his finest warriors to Illium. He had, with the help of a hack, copied the files of each officer seeing to the _Masnachu Deaths_ - as they had been nicknamed - and came across something interesting.

Detective Anaya had kept some personal files relating to the incidents and mentioned one name several times: Bella Monte. Using his Omni-tool Grunt brought up the image of Bella, Steel couldn't help but let out a dog whistle.

"I've never seen an asari with that skin colour before," Steel admired.

"It's unique to the Monte Family," Adria replied. "No other asari in recent memory has had this skin colour."

"And this detective believes she's also an Ardat-Yakshi?" Steel asked.

"Each victim has been killed the same way," Grunt explained. "They all die of haemorrhaging in the brain and each victim was seen with Bella shortly before death. I've never met an Ardat-Yakshi, but I knew someone whose daughter was one - she was so dangerous her own mother had to see to her execution. If Bella is anything like that Ardat-Yakshi, then we're trouble."

"Well... I'm somewhat comforted by the fact the killer maybe an Ardat-Yakshi," Adria smiled weakly.

"How so?" Shay asked.

"I'm not into asari," Adria laughed.

"Don't forget," Steel said teasingly, "Ardat-Yakshi also have the innate ability to dominate the minds of others!"

"What?" she gasped. "I didn't know that! How do you know that?"

"I know an Ardat-Yakshi," Steel replied. "I've seen her use the technique a few times to get information out of suspects."

"Suspects?" Shay'kera repeated. "What the hell does she do for a living?"

"I'd tell you, but..." he grimaced. "I don't want to get her into trouble."

"As long as she's not a prostitute I couldn't care less what she does," Grunt said. "We need to figure out how to deal with someone who can control our minds. Any ideas, Steel?"

"Don't look at them," Steel replied. "As soon as her eyes turn black you know you're in trouble, but I suggest not holding eye contact for no more than a few seconds each time."

"Simple enough," Adria said.

_There's that word again,_ Grunt thought. _**'Simple'.** When has anything been simple for a krogan?_

_...  
_

Arriving at the hall minutes later they left the cab and passed the mass of security to enter the convention hall. The Annual Masnachu Event was a little uncommon, whereas potential business partners would arrange for meetings during business hours the Masnachu Event allowed for companies great and small to come together at one place and expand.

It was simple to think of it like a normal convention, filled with boots and representatives. The highest in the chain of command would spend time in a V.I.P booth or the reserved bar, allowing for the next in line to speak with potential new business ventures. Nothing was confirmed without the CEO's word, so despite what impression you made on the second-in-command it was up to the top brass to decide if you was worth their time.

"Have you ever been to one of these conventions before?" Grunt asked Adria.

"No," she replied. "My mother used to go every year, until ten years ago when the murders started... my father was one of the first victims."

"Wrex never said-"

"He didn't want you to think my emotions were in the way," she added. "I am in control of how I feel. My main priority is to help Tuchanka, not avenge my father."

"Noble of you," Shay'kera remarked. "But let's see how long you stick to your sentiment."

...

"There they are... new business, new faces."

Bella Monte sat in the corner, hands on her lap and back straight like a good girl, and watched her mother observe the bustling bodies from the VIP Booth high up from the rest of the world. Carmilla was much like her daughter, with the same skin colour and unique brow pattern.

Bella's 'father', another asari, had died shortly before Bella was born and she knew little of the life her other parent led. Carmilla spoke little of her also, which was a shame, as she would have liked to have known what this other parent was like.

Carmilla smiled and took a sip of some honey mead, it was a special brew created at Arkdat-Yakshi monastery. Though Carmilla kept her opinion on Ardat-Yakshi to herself, she saw no harm in helping them carve out a living, no matter what form that maybe.

"Oh, look!" Carmilla smiled. "That krogan - isn't she the daughter of Ravanor Industries?"

Bella saw that as an-indirect order to come over. She stood and came to stand beside her mother, looking out to the krogan in question. Bella was good with faces and names, but that particular krogan escaped her. She had known the krogan's parents, but the daughter had been kept hidden for a long time.

Why had she returned now?

"That's very interesting..." Carmilla said. "I must meet with her. I got on _so_ well with her parents, it was a shame what happened to her father."

Bella only nodded in response.

"Let her and her companions wander for a bit," Carmilla ordered. "Then bring her up to me, I want to speak to her private."

"What about her friends?" Bella asked.

Carmilla gave her a sharp glare and Bella instantly apologized for speaking out of term. Carmilla snorted and looked away from her flesh and blood. Bella let out a sigh of relief, glad that in public - _at least_ - she would not suffer a thrashing.

"You can take them to the bar, keep them distracted and out of reach," Carmilla ordered. "Understand?"

"Yes, mother," Bella nodded obediently and returned to her seat in the corner, where she remained in silence until she was needed.

...

Grunt wanted to go back to the horrible pink hotel room, anything was better than this. Everyone pushed past him, despite who he was, he expected a salarian to know better than to force a krogan aside, but apparently when it came to business there were other things more important than one's health.

Adria had never appeared so content. Being in her environment, handling business and juggling decisions, it was what she was good at. Shay'kera could see why Wrex was so keen on having her see to expanding Tuchanka's economy, she was the best there was at what she did.

"Any sign of Monte?" Grunt asked.

"Not yet," Shay replied.

Grunt glanced over to the large krogan keeping guard over Adria, Steel stuck close and was wary of any who came close. He was being careful not to let anyone get to close, just to be safe, as there was no real way to know if Bella was working alone.

"Steel hasn't given us the signal," Shay observed. "Things must be going well."

"So far, so good," Grunt sighed. "But I don't think I can take three days of this."

"Why?" she asked. "Can't your nerves handle it?"

"It's the people I can't stand," Grunt replied. "I've seen people in a rush, but this is-"

"Ridiculous?" she said.

He nodded.

They stepped to the side, away from the thick crowds and chatter and just watched the people pass by. Grunt had done this often, just watch life pass by, it was a rather eye-opening experience. Okeer had taught him many things, but not enough for him to function as a social animal.

At first being social didn't appear to be necessary, not until he left the Normandy and soon after faced leading the very first Aralakh Company. To be distant from your comrades was dangerous, they could lose faith in your abilities or have very little loyalty to the cause.

In order to earn trust and loyalty, one must learn to enjoy the company he keeps. He learnt that from Shepard. When she wasn't fighting or recovering she was with the crew, twenty minutes with Joker and then thirty with Chakwas, and then an hour with Thane or Mordin.

She made time for her crew and in turn, they learnt to trust her and respect her. Miranda was probably the only exception, despite the fact Shepard saved her sister, all it took was for Shepard to side with Jack just once and Miranda lost all faith in Shepard. It made Grunt realize how flimsy one person's trust could be.

Shay grabbed Grunt's arm, shaking him from his thoughts.

"What?" he asked. "What's happened?"

"I just spotted Monte," Shay responded.

"Where?" he asked.

She pointed the red asari out, dressed in a beautiful gown the young asari approached Adria as she spoke with an elcor. Shay reached for her gun, but Grunt stopped her. Shay went to argue, when she noticed Steel had already spotted the suspected killer.

With a hard glare and a twist of the body, he shielded Adria from preying eyes and blocked Bella's route. The asari stumbled back, unsure as to how to approach the situation. After a moment of thinking she turned away and retreated, disappearing out of sight.

"Follow her," Grunt ordered. "I'm going to order Adria and Steel to re-"

A scream sounded over the crowd, loud and shrill, the scream of a female drell who had just come across something terrible. The drell screamed again, something clearer, something like murder. The crowd fell into a panic, pushing either towards the drell and her discovery or away towards the exit.

Guards moved in to settle the situation, but as the crowd stampeded towards safety or discovery, bodies were tripped up and pushed beneath the mass of people. Grunt snarled, annoyed at how quickly chaos could arise, and dived in to help.

He pulled people away from trampling feet, helped the injured to the side, while Shay tried to direct the panicked convention-goers into obeying the guards and calmly leaving. The panicked died down slowly, order returned, and Detective Anaya went to see to the body.

Outside Grunt was handing an injured salarian over to a medic. Shay'kera had managed to get out of the crowd with minimal damage, a slight blood stain on her robes was all there was. Actually, the stain seemed to work well with her strange blue robes. He wondered if she had ever actually worn a hood.

"Where's Steel?" Shay asked.

"Last I saw he was still in the crowd with Adria," Grunt answered. "I haven't been able to find them."

Shay frowned, "What exactly happened?" she asked.

"Another murder," Grunt replied. "A vorcha."

"A vorcha?" she repeated. "A vorcha businessman?"

"A vorcha _bodyguard_," Grunt corrected. "He was one of several guards hired by a hanar business... what do you call a hanar business person? They haven't got genders, have they?"

She shrugged, "I'm not sure," she said. "But I think finding Steel and Adria is our top priority."

Grunt's Omni-tool activated, as if by mention of Steel's name. Grunt opened a live-feed.

"Steel, what's the situation?"

"Uh... bad," Steel responded sheepishly.

"What the hell happened?" Shay cried. "You was supposed to take care of Adria!"

"Adria's fine!" Steel snapped. "She got away..."

"And you? Where are you?" Shay'kera asked.

"I've... uh... been kidnapped," Steel replied. "I'm not proud to admit it, but... I can't really defend against a biotic attack now, can I?"

"Has Bella got you?" Grunt asked.

"I'm not sure..." Steel replied. "All I know is I'm somewhere dark and something's messing with my signal. Adria got away, she used a flash bomb or something. As far as I know, whoever got me still hasn't caught her..."

"So it was all a distracting," Shay said. "The crowd was incited into panic by the vorcha's death, blocking exits and confusing civilians, creating an opening for your attacker."

"You can track Adria by your Omni-tool," Steel said. "I can't talk much longer and you need to focus on finding her."

"Will you be okay?" Grunt asked.

"Well..." Steel said, "I may have possibly been kidnapped by an Ardat-Yakshi who can control minds... I should be fine."

He didn't sound very convinced, but Grunt had to prioritise, even if he didn't want to. Tough choices had to be made and it was obvious Steel was just an offering, they were going to ask for a trade, and knowing Adria she would sacrifice her own life in order to save another.

They had to save her before she did anything rash.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_AHHH! This was late, I promised it last week and I didn't finish it in time! I'll get around to finishing the next chapter of Spectres, but I really am enjoying this story so I'm trying to prioritise without neglecting my other stuff. Though I'm afraid my account may need to be cleaned up._


	6. Demon of the Night Winds

**Chapter Six: Demon of the Night Winds**

_"Out of the night that covers me,_  
_Black as the pit from pole to pole,_  
_I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul."_

Steel lay in the dark, listening, trying to figure out his situation. He was aware of warmth coming from the floor, meaning this place was well heated, and the floor was also rather comfortable, meaning it was well-furbished for some odd reason.

Was this a holding cell or just another part of the apartment? He assumed it was an apartment, he had never seen a house on Illium. It was mostly apartments and complexes, those who owned a house lived off-world. But if it was a holding cell why would it be so well furbished?

It was an odd thing to consider at such a time, but it calmed his nerves. Being kidnapped shouldn't have rattled him as terribly as it did now, but it did, because the same thought always ran through his mind whenever he was in a dire situation:

_I may never see my wife and child again._

It wasn't common knowledge who his wife was or that he had a child, it was something he liked to keep secret. He knew the type of danger they could be in if his enemies discovered they existed, it was the very same reason his wife kept her heritage a secret from her own enemies.

Everyone had secrets, some more than others, and he could never decide if they were a hindrance or an advantage. He supposed it depended on who's secret it was, if it was someone else's secret then perhaps it was an advantage, but if it was your own...

_"In the fell clutch of circumstance_  
_I have not winced nor cried aloud._  
_Under the bludgeonings of chance_  
_My head is bloody, but unbowed."_

He wished he could see, maybe then he could figure out a route of escape, or perhaps it was best to wait and figure out who had taken him. It could have very well been Bella, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions. She hadn't killed him, which meant he was a bargaining tool and that Adria had got away.

_Or maybe they're saving me for later,_ he thought grimly.

_"Beyond this place of wrath and tears _  
_Looms but the Horror of the shade,_  
_And yet the menace of the years _  
_Finds and shall find me unafraid."_

_**No,**_ he couldn't think like that. He was going to see his wife and child again, even if they broke every bone in his body and rendered him useless, he would drag himself out of this bloody hell by the skin of his teeth if he had too! He'd do anything to see them again.

He lay in the dark, conceiving a plan, and thought of his wife's smile and his daughter's laugh. He would see them again, he would return to them and to duty, and save Adria as well. He'd do all that because he was Okeer's Legacy and what he stood for empowered him to continue to fight.

Until then, he would wait, and repeat his code.

_"It matters not how strait the gate,_  
_How charged with punishments the scroll._  
_I am the master of my fate:_  
_I am the captain of my soul."_

...

Grunt and Shay'kera flew over the bright lights of Illium as they searched for their wayward companion. Each Omni-tool contained a tracking system, so finding her and Steel was going to be an easy task. It was facing the Ardat Yakshi Grunt was worried about.

He wasn't chosen to go to Omega with Shepard and Samara to find Morinth, so he was not aware of how they had defeated Morinth. He had always meant to ask, sure it was an interesting story, but the Justicar always somehow intimidated him and he never got the chance to ask Shepard.

Steel's advice of not looking them in the eyes may work, but that would make fighting difficult if he could not read her face to judge her actions. He could always look at her feet-

"There!" Shay cried. "She's just around the corner!"

Grunt changed directions and brought the cab in low, parking it down at Illium's dark streets. It was like a whole new world down below, there were no lights or music or even any sign of life. It was just empty. To look up and down would make one think of heaven and in hell, such was the contrast in light and life.

Shay took a step forwards, following the directions on her Omni-tool. They came to a stout alleyway that was filled with trash and stunk of decay, it seemed as good as place to any to hide in. Her scent was hidden and there were plenty of places to hide. Shay took another step forwards and called Adria's name.

Hesitantly there came a response and Adria appeared, her beautiful robes covered in grime and other stains Grunt didn't want to think about. She ran to Shay'kera, burying her face into Shay's chest and crying. Shay stood there for a moment, unsure as to how to respond to a crying krogan.

She looked to Grunt for help. The Pure Krogan made a gesture and Shay copied, gently tapping Adria's back.

"There... there?" Shay said uncertainly. "It's... okay, we're here. Just tell us what happened."

"I'm... not sure," Adria cried. "One moment Steel was there, the next there was a scream and the crowd tried to sweep me away. Steel stopped me from getting caught up, but then someone attacked him... he told me to run... so I did."

"Did you see who attacked you?" Grunt asked. "Was it Bella?"

"Yes..." Adria replied.

She recovered and wiped the tears from her eyes, apologizing for lack of control. Shay remained silent. If she spoke her mind then she was certain she would only upset the young girl further, it was best to keep her thoughts to herself.

"Are you sure?" Grunt asked.

"Yes, but if it was..." Adria suddenly looked confused. "What happened? Why did someone scream?"

"A vorcha guard was killed," Shay explained.

She changed the image on her Omni-tool to bring up that day's report filed by Detective Anaya, after a quick read they realized it read exactly the same as the others. The vorcha had died the same way as each of the other victims.

"How did Bella have the time to kill a vorcha and attack me?" Adria asked. "She couldn't have moved _that_ quickly, not when the murder took place on the other side of the hall."

"Isn't it obvious?" Shay said. "There are two killers."

...

Steel had managed to find himself in the dark; he felt his arms in the restraints and the shackles at his feet. He found he could move and he managed to sit up, next he voice-activated his Omni-tool to shine some light on the situation.

He was in an old room; he knew so by the immeasurable amount of dust that had gathered on the covered paintings and furniture that decorated the room like pale ghosts. There was a statue in the far corner of the room, some paintings, a chandelier and some furniture, all of which was covered by a musty blanket. The doors to the room were carved from wood and even had handles, making him wonder if whoever captured him had a thing for old fashioned things.

At least he had a fair understanding of his environment. Perhaps his keepers were rich, maybe Bella_ had_ captured him. But what had caused the crowd to charge? No way could Bella have incited the crowd without risking revealing her true identity, which meant she wasn't working alone.

And he had a fair idea who else was involved.

The old doors creaked open and a beautiful temptress appeared, dressed in a red her gown that fluttered around her like the wings of a bat. The asari took a step forwards, her form illuminated by the pale light from beyond the door and the orange hum of his Omni-tool.

"Couldn't resist calling for help, could you?" Carmilla purred.

"I wasn't calling for help," Steel replied calmly. "I was just informing them of my current situation. I have no need of their help."

"Odd thing to hear from someone who lives a life relying on others," she remarked.

Steel frowned, just how much did she know? She certainly had connections; someone that rich wouldn't be so foolish as to not have some connections somewhere. It was the very basis of a business. But someone that high up knew him?

Why? What possible benefit could knowing about his life have for her? Unless...

"I get it," he smirked. "If this trade with Adria back fires you want a contingency plan, perhaps you'll offer to protect my family in return for Adria or even kidnap one of my crew in order to create a new trade."

"You say family and then crew," she observed. "I thought they were one and the same."

"Then you were wrong," Steel said. "My crew _is_ like a family, but my wife and daughter are my true family."

"What about Giger?" she asked. "You and he are brothers."

"Actually, we're more like clones," he replied. "If you look at us on a chemical level we're exactly the same because we're clones, not because we're brother brothers, but I suppose it's the same thing."

"I thought clones were meant to be identical," she said.

"Okeer didn't like consistency," he replied. "He wanted a perfect soldier, but that soldier didn't necessarily have to look like every other creation that had failed."

"You talk an awful lot for a captive," she said.

"_'Captive'_ is just a state of mind," he replied. "Sure, I'm sat here waiting for my friends to tell me they found Adria and are going to return home, but I'm not a captive."

"You don't think they'll come for you?" she asked, surprised.

"My life is unimportant," he explained. "Adria is significantly more important and useful in comparison to a soldier with no biotic power, why should they risk it all for me?"

"What about your family?" she asked. "Don't you want to go home to see your little girl again?"

"... I do," he answered. "If I die I rather see them first, but I know the risks of life and so does my wife. We go into battle every day not expecting to see one another again, but hoping we will. You probably don't know how that feels, do you? Everyone you love dies."

Her beautiful face twisted in anger and she grabbed him by the throat, squeezing with such a strong biotic force he missed his breath and gasped in pain. Her eyes burned with hate and he half-expected the asari to snap his neck in two, but a sudden calm came over her and she dropped the krogan to the floor.

He coughed and wheezed, trying to catch his breath. She stood over him, trying to compose herself as her public facade fell over her smooth features. She stood beside him, her gaze fixated ahead at a covered painting. She felt the urge to uncover it and show him that not all she loved was taken from her, but realized there was no point.

There was a faint rapping at the door and Bella entered, sheepishly looking down at her feet. Carmilla didn't glance at her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Adria Ravanor and company are at the door," Bella answered.

Carmilla glanced at Steel's surprised expression and she smirked, "Excellent," she said. "Take them to the dining room, I will be there shortly."

Bella quickly vanished from sight and Carmilla turned to Steel, leaning over him and smiling darkly.

"It seems your friends value you more than you thought," she said. "I would take a moment to consider that, because very soon you're going to be as dead as stone."

...

Adria didn't know if her plan was right, or if it would even work, but if her theory was correct - if Ardat-Yakshi _did_ control you through direct eye contact - then at least they had an advantage over the vampiric forces they were to soon face.

Grunt and Shay'kera walked either side of Adria as Bella led them through the grand apartment and into the dining room. As they stood in silence they both secretly hoped Adria's theory was correct. Both of them wore thick helmets while Adria wore a Kuwashii Visor, it didn't necessarily prevent eye-contact, but it did affect the process.

The Visor filled her vision with so many different components of information that she couldn't necessarily concentrate on one thing for too long; the same system had been downloaded into Shay and Grunt's helmets. While it was distracting it helped them to focus on other things, and not the Ardat-Yakshi.

"You shouldn't have come," Bella whispered. "You should have stayed away."

"We couldn't leave our friend here," Adria said. "Besides, what do you care? Aren't you the killer?"

Shay frowned, wondering just what the hell Adria was playing at. They knew there were two killers; they knew Bella was one of them, so why interrogate her now? They needed to play it carefully, they couldn't charge at Bella without knowing where Steel was.

"K-killer?" Bella gasped. "I'm not a killer!"

"But you _are _an Ardat-Yakshi," Adria said. "Isn't that the same thing?"

Bella turned on Adria, tears in her eyes. "I have never harmed a living soul!" she cried. "When I was diagnosed I swore to keep my urges under control. I... I have assisted in deaths, too many people have died because of me, but I have never harmed anyone!"

"... So Carmilla _is_ the killer," Adria said.

Bella looked shocked, taken back almost by the accusation, but she didn't question the krogan's judgement. Adria took a small step forwards, putting a comforting hand on Bella's shoulder.

"You were just the distraction," Adria continued. "Carmilla used you to lure the victims too her and she killed them."

"But that makes no sense," Shay interjected. "Ardat-Yakshi are sterile. Carmilla can't be Bella's mother."

"What?" Bella gasped. "No! Mother always said-"

_"Mother was wrong."_

Carmilla appeared through a secret passage in the wall, dragging Steel with her she threw him to the floor at their feet. The Ardat-Yakshi produced a gun from a holster at her thigh and aimed it at Adria. Shay's hands began to glow a faint blue aura and she stood before Adria like a shield.

"I guess the cats out of the bag," she smiled. "Sorry, Bella, but lying was the best possible option for our... situation."

_"Situation?"_ Bella growled. "What the hell are you talking about? Who are you? Where are my parents?"

"I am Carmilla," she introduced. "I am your sister. Our parents are dead."

"W-what...?" Bella gasped.

"Don't worry, I didn't kill them," Carmilla assured her. "They were killed by a business rival when they refused to sell. You was just a baby when it happened, barely able to crawl, so you never noticed the disappearance of our real mother. I took over the business, small at the time, and years later managed to extract revenge."

"You've been killing all these people just to find the one who killed your parents?" Grunt asked.

"No, most of them were just in the way," Carmilla replied. "Killing them proved good for business."

"You're sick," Adria snarled. "You killed my father because he was in the way?"

"I killed your father because _he_ killed my parents!" she hissed.

Adria physically took a step back, her head reeling. "No..." she cried. "You're lying! My father would never-!"

"Your father was a veteran of the Krogan Rebellion trying to carve a life in a business market that hated his kind," Carmilla interrupted. "He was desperate and willing to do anything to ensure the survival of his business."

Adria fell silent, but her fists shook in rage. Grunt wished he knew who she was mad at - Carmilla or her father? Who was more in the wrong? Grunt understood the concept of a life for a life, he was all for it, but killing all those other people because they were in her way was too far.

"You dishonourable whore," Steel growled. "You'll burn for this."

"Maybe," she said, "but not before your friend."

Carmilla squeezed the trigger, Steel kicked her in the legs and she fell back, the shot hitting the ceiling. Bella ran for her sister, Shay'kera hit the asari with a biotic blast that pinned her to the wall. Carmilla saw her sister's distress and went to fire again, when a large krogan boot came down on her face and crushed it.

Her nose shattered and her lip burst into a bloody lump, her forehead cracked and the crests on her head split. She gurgled blood and was unconscious seconds later. Steel grunted in annoyance, he had hoped he had killed her. Bella fought against her hold and broke free, running to her sister's side.

"Carmilla!" she cried. "Carmilla! Can you hear me?"

Grunt went to Steel and undid his restraints; the silver-crested krogan moved away from the damned Ardat-Yakshi and silently trudged out of the door. There was an uncommon look of annoyance on his face. Shay watched him go, and then quickly followed. Adria approached Bella, trying to offer her comfort.

"We can help you, Bella," Adria said. "If you-"

"No!" she screamed. "This is all your fault! If your father hadn't killed my parents I would have a mother and father! My sister wouldn't have become a killer and I her tool! Get out of my sight, you dirty krogan!"

"Bella, I-"

"Don't, Adria," Grunt ordered. "Leave them alone."

She sighed sadly, looking at the bleeding Ardat-Yakshi and her sister, "I wish my father had left them alone..."

...

_ENTRY 004_

_Carmilla was executed shortly after Detective Anaya and her team picked them up. I thought they would send her to the monastery on Lesuss with Bella, but I'm glad they didn't. Carmilla was as bad as Morinth, what started as revenge turned into a love for murder, and people like that shouldn't be allowed to live._

_Bella is different, she may have helped in the deaths but there could be hope for her yet. Right now her heart is filled with hate, maybe one day she can let go... or the monastery will be forced to explode the bomb they implanted in her body._

...

_Tuchanka, Flight Station_

Steel sat in the new station, a large and grand complex that would see many ships flying in and out in the coming months. For now it was quiet, business hours were over and all workers had gone home. At this time of night Steel could hear the varren outside, roaming the grounds and wondering what had happened to their land.

He was expecting the Alkoras' shuttle to come and pick him up any moment now. He was in much need for rest. Wrex had granted him leave; there were no upcoming crisis that would require Steel's interference so Wrex saw no reason in keeping the krogan on Tuchanka.

Steel activated his Omni-tool and went through his personal files, bringing up a holographic image of a turian holding a young quarian in her arms. A weary smile passed his lips. His captain and his engineer, his wife and daughter.

A shadow came over him and Grunt was standing there.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked.

Steel nodded, "It's a free world," he said.

Grunt sat on the bench and he felt it bend under his weight, but it didn't buckle. The asari knew how to build seats to accommodate krogan, even if it felt like they didn't. Grunt examined the image Steel seemed so content to stare at and he realized who it was.

"So that's your family," he said. "They have the same markings as you."

It was true. The turian, who dressed oddly in her pirate cap and blouse, had the exact same patterns as Steel except they covered her entire face. The young quarian's markings weren't obvious, until one examined her clothes and saw the same markings stitched into the fabric.

"The markings are Ryö's idea," Steel explained. "When she first set her goal of becoming a captain she had no colony, she was sort of like a refuge, so she made her own markings. Every crew member gets the markings when they are accepted, it's optional where you put them, but everyone does them like me - they get them tattooed on the left side of their face."

"What's your daughter's name?" Grunt asked.

"Keelah," Steel replied. "Picking her name was hard, 'cause we wanted it to be as similar to other quarians in order to keep some of her culture. So we called her Keelah nar Ryöstää vas Alkoras, so in quarian it translates as 'Keelah child of Ryostaa crew of (the) Alkoras'."

"So why Keelah?" he asked.

"When we found her it was the only thing she could say," Steel answered. He closed the image and turned to Grunt, "So why are you here?" he asked.

"Just wanted to make sure you was okay," Grunt replied. "What happened on Illium-"

"I'm fine," he said. "I've been in worse situations. Besides, it'll make an interesting story to tell the crew when I return home."

"How can you think of a ship as your home?" Grunt asked. "The quarians had been living on ships for years and they hated every second of it."

"I've lived in three places," Steel replied. "Tuchanka. Omega. The Alkoras. On Tuchanka my whole clan was destroyed, on Omega I was a mercenary thug, on the Alkoras I have a family and friends. Wouldn't you prefer a life on a ship?"

If Grunt could go back to the way things were, if he could go back to living on a ship with Shepard, would he? His time on the Normandy was the best phase of his life, it gave him what he wanted - _krantt_ and clan, a reason to fight instead of just fighting because he could.

But after the Normandy he was part of the first Aralakh Company, he fought the Reapers and now he was in charge of protecting Tuchanka. The Normandy was great and he learnt so much, but now he had friends and purpose to exist, and he wasn't sure he would ever want to trade that for anything.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_**Next Time!** Wrex may have finally uncovered Shepard's location, and Grunt may have his mother back, but a problem with Giger may rob Grunt of his opportunity!_

_Steel's poem is called Invictus and is by English poet William Ernest Henley, if anyone was curious. It also seems that these updates will take place every Sunday, though I'll try to make them sooner._


	7. Mother

**Chapter Seven: Mother**

_The Colony Equality_

Green and serene, Equality was more than anyone could ever hope for. It wasn't like Freedom's Progress or Eden Prime. The land wasn't flat or smooth. It had sharp mountains and rolling fields, and high winds that made flying difficult. The sky was thick and grey, and more often cold than one may hope, and much of the planet's water was frozen or buried beneath ice.

Safe to say, living on Equality was one of the hardest damn things anyone could do. It's tough climate and lifestyle was what put off many settlers, its atmosphere wasn't high enough for the volus or the elcor, though the Turian Hierarchy saw potential in it they never went through on the offer and the planet was left on the market until just twenty years ago when it was bought by a volus.

That grey and windy day she entered her vehicle, as always, and went to work. It was a specially designed pick-up truck, designed to look every bit the same as any old Earth pick-ups, but with a propulsion system that gave it a sort of floating affect and thick windows and enforced steel to secure the driver and passenger's safety.

Acquiring a place on Equality was difficult, because of the harsh landscape, so only those who could contribute could secure a place. Unlike most she had two jobs. Right now she was doing the only job that didn't require putting her life on the line.

As she started her vehicle's systems and glided along the rough terrain she activated her terminal and called Tuchanka. She glanced at the image that appeared over her call, a dark plated krogan covered in scars with blue eyes. It had been awhile since she last saw Giger and she was waiting in anticipation for the day he would return.

Surely he was due for a day off soon.

"C'mon, pick-up," she said. "Ah, finally!"

The call dinged and changed from red to green.

"Hey, it's been awhile," he said. "Sorry 'bout that... work and all."

"Oh, yes, your _oh_-so-secret job," she smirked.

"Hey! I told you, no more hacking files!" he said. "Especially Wrex's files. This job is important, if I lose it 'cause you can't drop some old habits..."

"Okay, I won't anymore," she said. "I promise. Besides, his files shouldn't be so easy to hack."

"On to a new topic..." he said casually. "How are things?"

"Same as usual," she replied. "I got an off-world... _request_ that may require my attention. It pays better than this, so chances are I'll-"

She caught sight of a vehicle ahead and stopped. Many of the vehicles on Equality were the same as the cabs on Illium or Palaven, though these ones were bigger and a little more armour plated because of the terrain. Equality also had a very small population, everyone knew everyone, and she didn't know that particular vehicle.

"Faust, you okay?" he asked.

"I fear I may have underestimated our enemies," she replied. "They found me."

"Faust, listen to me," he said sternly. "Get away and try to get to Tuchanka. I can protect you here. I can-"

A sword crashed through the vehicle's front window, sending glass shards flying into the cab. Faust raised her arms over her head, feeling the shards cut through the sleeves of her jacket. She rammed her foot down on the break, her vehicle twisting and crashing into a rising hill. She gritted her teeth and pulled the glass from her arms.

No way could any ordinary blade cut through double glass, not unless the blade was lined with unstable element zero molecules. She had seen such a blade before, but to think two were in existence? Perhaps it was possible, her enemies had deep connections, but this one seemed different.

"Faust! What the hell-"

She cut him off as she closed the line.

"Sorry, Giger, but I need to do this."

She pulled her goggles down over her eyes and opened the door, jumping into the brisk air and facing her assailant with fists glowing bright with a biotic blaze.

...

_Tuchanka, Market District_

Grunt and Shay'kera walked through the market district with a strange sense of nostalgia, though neither of them had ever witnessed a market on Tuchanka, but something within their blood was warmed by the sight of species from all corners selling and buying their wares on the krogan homeworld.

Perhaps it was the blood of their ancient ancestors, or maybe seeing Tuchanka in such a state made them feel joyous, though neither of them openly admitted it. Krogan maybe advancing once more throughout the galaxy, but when it came to emotions they were still slow at opening up.

"Funny for Wrex to want to meet you here," Shay remarked. "Luckily for you I know my way through the markets."

It was true, Grunt had been invited by Wrex to come to the market and share a drink on account of some news he had received, however Grunt had yet to wander into the new market town and got a little lost. If not for stumbling upon Shay, he may have never found his way.

The market had been erected above the surface of old Clan Urdnot, not far from the new Union Building and Grunt's home. It was filled with voices and barter, the air smelled of exotic food and fine wine, and Grunt had never felt more proud of his home.

"Wrex hasn't had a lot of opportunities to go out and see what he's helped done for the krogan people," Grunt responded. "And he's been raving on about this new café for days, something about the food or something."

"Ah, you mean Café Normandy," she said.

"Café ... what?" he said. "That's possible the worst name for a café. It's not even catchy."

"True," she agreed. "But Wrex likes it, I've seen him there a few times since it opened a few weeks ago."

"I have to ask, Shay, why do you live by the market instead of in the temples?" he asked. "Adria and the others live in the new buildings in the city, why do you insist on staying here in these small apartments?"

"Reminds me of home," she replied. "Besides... Skoll lives further away. He lives in a cabin just on the border of the old clans."

They came to the café, a two storey building with seats and tables outside, a wooden sign shaped like the Normandy hanging just outside the door. Wrex sat outside, watching the people go by, and dressed in his old armour. It seems Wrex's casual wear was his old battle uniform.

"I'll leave you with him," Shay said. "I want to check on Adria, after what happened with Carmilla..."

"It's okay," he said. "Tell her I said hi."

She gave him a small smile and vanished into the crowd. Grunt joined Wrex at the table and the elder krogan had already ordered him a beverage, it was still warm and smelt sweet, not the typical krogan brew. Grunt eyed it cautiously, Wrex smirked at his reaction.

"It's fine," Wrex said. "Don't be such a whelp and drink it!"

Grunt did so and found it was as sweet as its smell, not something he generally agreed on.

"So why am I here?" he asked. "It can't be that important if you wanted to meet here..."

"Don't assume it's not important because of where we are," Wrex replied. "This is probably the most important thing I've uncovered."

"Important to who?"

"You."

Grunt frowned, "So if this is so important, why are we out in the open?" he asked.

"Because I needed you here to see what Shepard has done for our people," Wrex answered. "You and I know more than anyone just how life-changing she is, so when I tell you this... I don't want you to react badly. I want you to stop and think."

Grunt's head was reeling, what was Wrex saying? Did he have new information on Shepard? Was she alive or was she dead? Had they found her remains or her location? There were so many questions he wanted to ask, so much he needed to know, and Wrex was just waiting until he burst before he told him the truth.

"Shepard... is alive."

Grunt wanted to jump to his feet and grin, he wanted to charge towards his ship and take-off and find her. But he was jumping to conclusions. Wrex said Shepard was alive, but what kind of condition was she in mentally or physically? He needed the facts before he ran in search of her.

"You're... calm," Wrex said. "I'm not sure if I should be worried."

"I'm... happy," Grunt smiled. "I just need to know, what kind of condition is she in?"

"I don't know," Wrex replied. "To be honest, I don't know much."

"How did you find her?" Grunt asked.

"I talked to Admiral Hackett," he explained. "I've been asking him ever since Shepard dissapeared if he knew anything, but he knew as much as us, until the other day. Hackett was finally given access to classified files and he sent them to me. It turns out Garrus found Shepard a few days after the Reaper's destruction and she was taken to hospital, but before she could make a full recovery they dissapeared to a colony called Equality."

"Equality? That sounds familiar," Grunt said.

"It should, it's Giger's colony," Wrex replied. "If Shepard is there, they've got her well-hidden, otherwise Giger would have given us her location sooner."

"I need to find her," Grunt said.

"I know," Wrex smirked. "That's why I've asked Giger to take you there..."

"Why do you sound so uncertain?" Grunt asked.

"There is... a _slight_ complication," Wrex answered. "Giger will take you, but he needs your help - or rather, I'm offering your help."

"What's happened?" Grunt said.

"Giger won't tell me all the details," Wrex replied, "but all I know is something happened to his human and while he doesn't want help, he didn't say no to my offer."

"... I help him then I'm free to search for Shepard?" he asked.

Wrex nodded.

"I really can't say no, can I?"

...

Grunt sat in silence as Giger flew his shuttle through the dark space. It was an unusual ship, much like Giger, with a sleek and sharp design and the same hard patterns on his armour, but it wasn't a fighter vessel. Judging by its need for speed over artillery, it was mostly for escape.

They had sat in silence ever since getting on board the ship, and it appeared there was still much more left to go. Equality was rather far off, Grunt could understand why Shepard chose it as her hiding place. Not only was it difficult to locate, but it was a place for mixed couple, so no one would bat an eyelid at the sight of a turian and human.

But what sort of condition was Shepard in that no one recognized her? The colony had also been attacked, Steel had mentioned Giger and a few others had held the line when the Reapers came, so Shepard could have sneaked onto the colony during the chaos of reconstruction.

But how come no one had recognized her since then? It didn't make sense, who was hiding Shepard from the rest of the world? Giger glanced at Grunt, noticing the way Grunt sighed and glared ahead, his head full of questions that needed answering.

"Are you okay?" Giger asked.

"Funny," Grunt snickered, "I was going to ask you the same."

"I'm used to death threats," Giger replied. "It's you I'm worried about. I know you and Shepard were... _close_. She was like a mother figure, right?"

Grunt nodded.

"I had a father figure," Giger said. "I know what it's like to lose someone, so it's a good thing you still have her."

"How come you never saw her?" Grunt asked. "She was there, she must have been there for months, so how come no one saw her?"

"Maybe... Baya was hiding her," Giger replied.

"Baya...?" Grunt said.

"She bought Equality twenty years ago and turned it into what it is now," Giger explained. "Baya is one of the few volus I don't want to hit, and I know how she admired Shepard, so if Shepard didn't want to be found..."

"But why couldn't she tell us?" Grunt asked. "Why didn't she tell me she was alive?"

"Maybe she didn't want you to see her as she was," Giger suggested. "She could be in any condition and how would you react if you saw her? How would seeing your mother in a terrible condition affect you?"

Grunt considered that for a moment, and realized Giger had a point. Shepard went into hiding for a reason, whether it was because she didn't want to fight anymore or face the celebrity she would receive or because she was in a terrible decision, it wasn't his place to question, just to judge.

"So why is your human in trouble?" Grunt asked. "What did she do?"

"She didn't do anything," Giger said defensively. "It's what I did..."

Grunt frowned at him questionably, but Giger ignored all further questions and focused instead on the journey. Sometime later, after passing through a mass relay, they came to a fairly small planet orbiting a much larger gas giant and sun.

As they neared the planet Giger intercepted a message, "Welcome back, Giger, have you come for a visit or to stay?" asked the friendly quarian voice.

"I'm here on business," Giger answered.

"I see, good luck then," the voice said.

"I assume that's not Baya?" Grunt said.

"No, that's her partner," Giger replied. "Nice guy, a little naive at times, but a good information broker."

They passed through the bumpy stratosphere and Giger expertly maneuverered his way through the arching terrain, following a signal on his terminal. Grunt examined the landscape, not spotting a single apartment. Where were all the people? Perhaps they were further away, in a more smoother valley, which would explain why Giger's human was so far out.

They led her to a place where no one would come save her, where no one would find her. Whoever was after her knew their way around murder.

"Not far now," Giger said, "we're getting closer..."

They flew over a large hill and came to an indented valley, spotting a signal apartment amongst a green field of high and unkempt grass. The signal was stronger here, but judging by Giger's expression he didn't know who's apartment that was.

They landed and Giger grabbed his gun, storming out of the ship. Grunt quickly followed, grabbing the darker krogan's arm.

"Slow down," he ordered. "We don't know what's in there or the situation! You can't just charge in!"

"She's my human!" Giger cried. "I'm going to protect her even if-"

A shot rang out, striking the hull of the ship. Giger growled, roaring a threat. Grunt pushed him back, a warning glare in his eye. Normally Giger wouldn't have backed down, but something about the look Grunt gave him reminded him of Steel.

And he backed down.

Grunt turned his attention to the apartment and caught the glint of a barrel sticking out of the window, along with what looked like a familiar turian face. The barrel was lowered, just so it was just out of Grunt's range, but close enough to hit Giger.

"Vakarian, is that you?" Grunt called.

"... Grunt?" he called back. "It _is_ you!"

The barrel vanished from sight and Garrus appeared at the door. Grunt never thought he would be so happy to see a turian, but Garrus was the rare exception and seeing him only meant good things. If Vakarian was around, then Shepard couldn't be far.

"Lower your weapon," Grunt ordered Giger. "He's a friend."

"Then why is Faust's signal coming from this house?" Giger questioned.

"I... can explain," Garrus replied. "Come inside, quickly."

They followed him through into the warm apartment, the walls thick and with tough windows, the floor heated. Giger spotted a familiar white Matrix-like coat flung on the arm of a chair. He picked it up, noticing the torn sleeves and the patch of red on the breast.

"What did you do?" Giger demanded.

"We didn't do anything!" Garrus protested. "Faust is a friend of ours, we would never hurt her."

A door opened and a human appeared, tall and pale, with short spiky white hair and a strip of purple running down her bottom lip that reminded Grunt of Aria T'Loak for some strange reason. She wore some type of jumpsuit and heavy gloves, she looked nothing like he expected.

"Faust..." Giger sighed in relief. "You're okay... what... what are you doing here?"

"Didn't I say?" she smirked. "I'm a friend of Commander Shepard's. She came here sometime after the Reaper Invasion, she requested a place but because of her status Baya and I feared she may be discovered so we kept her hidden in this valley while she recovered."

"That explains a lot," Giger said. "But what happened to you?"

"Aria sent one of her assassin's," Faust replied. "I lost track of them here, but that doesn't mean we're safe. We need to move Shepard, she's in no condition to fight."

"Where is she?" Grunt asked. "I need to see her."

Garrus considered it for a moment, wondering if it was best to reintroduce Shepard to the world. They hadn't planned on returning so soon, not until Shepard was fully healed, but now that Grunt had found her there was very little reason to hide.

Shepard was still as she was, mostly, so why continue to deny her friends the right to see her?

"Okay," Garrus said. "She's in the next room. Knock first."

Grunt nodded silently and came to the door, just beyond was Shepard and he found his hands trembling slightly. He ignored the tremor and brought his fist up to knock. There was a tentative pause before there came an answer, in the same firm and commanding voice as Shepard had the last time he had seen her.

"Come in."

...

"How the hell did Aria find us?" Giger asked.

"I don't know," Faust replied. "An old connection, a tip off, it doesn't matter. She knows we're here, it's too dangerous to stay."

"I won't let them force you off planet," Garrus said. "You helped Shepard and me when things were bad, the least we can do is return the favour."

"It's not that simple, Garrus," she replied. "We kill one assassin and she sends another, or worse, another Executioner. This colony has seen enough destruction. I won't endanger any more lives."

"Then you have no choice but to come with me to Tuchanka," Giger said.

"Fine..." she said.

She smiled at him and gently caressed the scar on his throat.

"Besides, even if we accepted your help Garrus," she added. "I doubt Shepard would be of much help in the condition she's in."

...

Grunt took a moment before entering, just a delayed second to steady his nerves, but it was enough. He turned the handle and entered the warm room, catching sight of a familiar red-head lying beneath the sheets of the bed. He didn't notice her scars at first, or the hollow look in her eyes, all he saw was Shepard and he fell to his knees.

He steadied himself on the bed and Shepard was more than a little bit surprised by the reaction. She steadily reached out and touched his crests, making sure she wasn't hallucinating out of lonliness. The crest against her hand was real, though, and she smiled.

"Grunt, it is you," she said. "I wasn't expecting visitors."

"I wasn't expecting to find you hiding," he responded.

"I'm not hiding," she protested. "I don't know if you noticed, but I'm in a bad way."

He noticed then the scarring along her face, much like the artificial scarring she had when Cerberus recovered her. Her right arm lay limp, a cool chunk of metal shaped to resemble the limb she had lost, he suspected her leg was in much the same shape.

"Walking is hard," she added. "My one leg was destroyed and the other suffered muscle damaged, we've managed to somewhat repair it with some implants, but it's still difficult to get from A to B."

"But that doesn't explain why you vanished and didn't tell any of us," he said. "Was... you afraid of our reaction?"

"Maybe," she replied. "But that wasn't the reason I left."

"Then why...?"

A loud scream interrupted him, the roar of a krogan charging into battle. Shepard frowned, and found her blood was warmed at the sound. She had thought the sound of battle would cause her body to tremble, as holding a gun now did, but that cry was like Wrex and Grunt, the sound of someone trying to desperately protect something.

And she knew that feeling well.

"Stay here," Grunt ordered. "I'll see to this."

"Grunt, wait-"

He was already out of the door and didn't catch what she said. Shepard lowered her hand, as if raising it would have helped her to hold him back. She looked down at her hands, one pink and scarred and the other silver and cold. She hadn't fired a gun in nearly a year, hadn't charged up her biotic spirit, so why did she feel like doing it now?

...

Grunt burst into the room and found an assassin, lean and slim, posed like a deadly viper and clutching a powerful weapon in her hand. Judging by her build she was asari, so probably a biotic as well. Garrus had fallen behind cover, his weapon in hand, while Giger attempted to charge the assassin, Faust providing a biotic shield over his flesh.

Giger swung a punch, catching the side of her head and knocking her across the room. She landed against the wall and jumped forwards, swinging her blade. Giger blocked with his arm and Grunt saw the shielding around his arm crack as the blade tore into it.

Giger delivered a sharp kick, the assassin ducked low and jumped back as he swept low with another kick. Giger examined the crack in his armour, gritting his teeth. Faust glared darkly, her face twisting in such a way she looked more like an assassin than the asari in black.

"That blade..." she hissed. "It's a cheap knock off of Ryö's blade! Unstable element zero lined along the blade for added effect."

Giger pressed a hand to his chest, even now his scar burnt as the memory of Ryö's blade slicing through his flesh and armour gave him a horrible sensation of looming death. To think Aria would try to copy the design, and to create an inferior copy at that? She wasn't sure whether be to insulted or annoyed.

"Unstable element zero?" Garrus repeated. "What exactly would that do?"

"It would have the same effect as a warp attack," Faust explained. "But that blade is nowhere near as powerful as the original, it contains the wrong type of baser elements that are necessary to keep the blade from breaking under its own force. With enough pressure it could break."

"So is Giger really the best person to fight her?" Grunt asked. "He's not biotic-"

"I know, but if I go she'll go straight for him and kill him!" Faust cried.

"Then let me-"

"No," cut in a firm voice. "Let me."

Grunt felt a cool arm on his shoulder and Shepard appeared beside him, her eyes vibrant and powerful once more. Garrus wanted to protest, as did every other person in the room, but no one argued when they saw the way she entered, proud and firm, just like Shepard once did.

Giger backed down, coming to stand beside his beloved, who hesitantly lowered the protective layer around him. Shepard took a step forwards, the assassin's stance shifted. Garrus watched her, amazed. They left because Shepard couldn't fight, she couldn't fire a gun or use her biotic powers. She felt weak and useless and didn't want to be of anyone concern's if she was of no use.

But now there was an assassin in her home, threatening her friends and her family, and the spark was ignited. Shepard fought to protect, to preserve, not for the thrill of battle, and he was glad to see she hadn't lost what made her special.

The assassin seemed hesitant, she knew who Shepard was and what kind of woman she was, but for whatever crazy reason she charged. She swung her blade and Shepard dived low, delivering a sharp jab to the asari's gut and jaw, snapping her head back. The assassin recovered and stabbed at her again, Shepard spun on her heels and pressed her hand to the assassin's back, sending a biotic blast through her body that sent her flying across the room.

She hit the wall hard and fell to the floor. She shook off the pain and charged again, swinging her blade down in a sharp arc. Shepard caught the blade between her palms, her hands humming with a powerful biotic blast. The assassin tried to pull away, she hoped the blade would cut Shepard or at least push her back.

"I've fought assassins like you before," Shepard growled. "The last one was whiny."

Shepard pushed down harder, pushing more of her biotic energy into the blade, and it cracked and exploded. The assassin was thrown backwards, shards of the blade embedded into her flesh as she hit the ground and went still. Shepard shook off the last of her biotic mist, and turned to the awed expressions of her family and friends.

"What...?"

...

That night, after disposing of the body and eating a large dinner, Faust prepared to leave with Giger and Grunt for Tuchanka. Shepard watched them go, the first time she had stepped out of the small apartment in months. Garrus was pleased to see she was beginning to return to her former state, he was starting to worry.

"What are you going to do?" Grunt asked her. "I won't tell Wrex where you are, if that's what you want."

"Tell him," she said. "I'm going to go to the Citadel and make sure they haven't marked me as dead - again."

"No doubt the Councillors will want to smother you in their gratitude," Grunt teased.

"Probably," she laughed. "But when I have a moment's peace, I'll come to Tuchanka and see you and Wrex."

"He'd like that," he said. "And... I would too."

Faust and Giger entered the ship, Grunt glanced back at them and found he hesitated. He wanted more time with Shepard, he wanted to talk about his achievements and help her recover, but she would want him to return to his priority - protecting Tuchanka.

He looked at her and saw she had her arms outstretched, a warm motherly smile on her face. Grunt looked at Garrus, as if asking for permission. Garrus just nodded and entered the house, giving them a moment of peace. Slowly and awkwardly, he fell into her arms and lay there for a long, delayed second.

She caressed his head gently, trying not to spook him, as if he was some kind of cut. He laid his head on her chest, feeling just a little bit awkward, but was determined not to move. This was... nice. This was what he wanted. Not her respect, but her love.

"Remember when you found me on Korlus?" he said. "You came across other tank born's, didn't you?"

"Yes..." she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"The tank born's used to call our birthing chambers 'glass mother'," he answered. "I never really connected with the word... until now."

She smiled and squeezed him a little harder. She would have told him what his words meant to her, how deep they ran, but there was no need. He knew how she felt, and she knew how he felt, so there was no need for words. Just this, being held by his mother, this was all Grunt needed.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_As some of you know I chose the Destroy Reaper ending, but not just because Shepard lives, but because I couldn't bear the thought of keeping the Reapers around after everything they had done. The invasion of Thessia was **so** emotional, and all those deaths! War always has repercussions and I was never sure what would happen to my Shepard, until I saw several images on deviantArt that helped me decide her fate._

_You may agree or you may think your Shepard had a different fate, but this is what I like to think happened to my Shepard. Also... LONG CHAPTER!_


	8. Misogyny

**Chapter Eight: Misogny**

_Clan Jorgal, Years Ago_

_Aeacus watched his sister step into the mysterious cruiser and disappear from sight as the doors closed shut. He saw a symbol on the hull he vaguely recognized as the clan marking of Clan Jurdon. His father appeared beside him, affectionately rubbing his son's gorgeous blue crests._

_"You know where your sister is going, don't you, Aeacus?" he asked._

_The young krogan nodded. "Yes," he replied. "She's going to Clan Jurdon to have children."_

_"Good," his father said. "At least you know."_

_His father led him away as the cruiser glided away and was soon gone from sight. They walked through the grounds of the clan, admiring the buildings and people, and Aeacus knew it was in a far better state than many of the other clans, and it was all because of his father, the leader of Clan Jorgal._

_Jorgal had one of the longest breeding lines in recent history, three out of every five females could reproduce in comparison to one in ten in every other clan, because of this Clan Jorgal had been rewarded with a land far from trouble and even occasionally a reward for every female._

_When he was younger Aeacus used to question his father's decision to sell females, just as what had happened with his sister, but his father had a way with words and by now Aeacus had a darkened view of females. As his father once said, "They are an ends to a mean, nothing more."_

...

_Present Day Tuchanka_

Giger met Grunt, Shay'kera and Wróg outside Café Normandy and they all ordered a round of that sweet asari tea Wrex so loved. Grunt was unsure of Wróg to begin with, his clan's hatred for Urdnot made it difficult for Grunt to trust Wróg, but it turned out his fears were misplaced.

Wróg was actually a nice guy, he even offered to pay for the drinks.

"Took your time," Shay teased. "Still helping Faust get used to Tuchanka?"

"Slowly," he said. "The last time she was here was... eh, it doesn't matter."

The waved the matter off and they didn't ask anymore questions, though Grunt was somewhat determined to eventually uncover Giger and Steel's secrets. If they truly were his brother's then he wanted to know everything about them and know why they never tried to find him, but not yet, it was still too early to push the subject.

"How's Adria?" Wróg asked.

"Better," Shay replied. "She's no longer expecting an Ardat-Yakshi to pop out of her closest."

"Well... that's good," Giger smirked.

The waitress dropped off the tea and Giger ordered some food, while he did Wróg asked Grunt something interesting.

"Did you hear about Aeacus?" he asked.

"No," Grunt said. "I don't really bother with the guy... there's something I just don't like."

If there was one thing Grunt had learned about Wróg, he liked gossip. At first Grunt thought it was just because knowing such secrets was rather tantalizing, but it had more to do with the fact Wróg was also an information broker and picked up gossip due to habit. In fact, gossip had once saved Wróg's life.

"Aeacus was out the other night with Durak and one of his friends," Wróg told them. "Durak's friend is an asari, a nice woman too, but when they were out at a bar Aeacus ordered her to get the drinks because that's a _'woman's job'_."

He noticed Shay'kera glaring at him and he raised his hands in defence.

"Aeacus' words, not mine!" he said innocently.

"Actually, I heard Bakara complaining about Aeacus the other day," Giger said.

The waitress left and after a few short minutes returned with his slice of hard cake.

"After Bakara gave birth Wrex wanted to hire a guard to keep an eye on her and the baby until she recovered," he explained. "She agreed, but insisted on having anyone but Aeacus. I think Skoll got the job, I've seen him at the Shaman Guild's a few times."

"Aeacus has a harsh way with women," Wróg agreed. "Not surprising, given his clan's standing in the world."

"What _do_ you know about his clan?" Shay'kera asked.

"Not much," Wróg replied. "Up until the Reaper Invasion they were a great political power and considerably wealthy. They sold fertile females in exchange for land or weapons, so over time their opinion of females became jaded and they saw them more as currency. Now, though, with this Union they have lost much of their power and because of the Genophage Cure their 'currency' is no longer acceptable."

Shay hummed thoughtfully. The new information regarding her squad mate clearly annoyed her, coming from a clan where women had such great opportunities and power she wasn't used to the idea of control being in the hands of just one gender or group. Grunt hoped she didn't confront Aeacus on the subject.

"As long as his behaviour doesn't cause any problems we should just leave him," Grunt suggested.

"And if it does cause any problems?" Shay asked.

"Then I'll see to it," Grunt replied. "He clearly doesn't understand the power a single woman can wield."

...

Grunt's social meetings were starting to become more and more common. At least three times a week he would meet up with at least one member of Aralakh Company and just spend some time with them. It was something Shepard had taught him aboard the Normandy.

She always made time for her crew, by getting to know them and helping them she strengthened the bond that connected them until her entire crew was almost like a single entity that lived to serve and protect the other. And that's how he wanted Aralahk Company to operate.

He wanted it to be fluid, like protecting your partner was as natural as caring for yourself. Before he became Urdnot Grunt he had never understood the benefits of a _krantt_, and then Shepard showed him the benefits of a team and he knew better.

Besides, he was actually starting to enjoy the company of his team.

On that particular day he had met with Adria and Wróg, they didn't really have a plan on how to spend the day, but they would find something to satisfy their need to go out.

"How long before the Senate is finished?" Grunt asked.

"Not much longer," Wróg said. "The roof is done and all that's left is interior design, but that'll be done within hours. Chances are we'll be allowed in tomorrow."

"Good," Adria said. "Our first Senate should be completed before the rest of the races come to see our achievements."

Grunt's Omni-tool flashed and a red message appeared. He glanced at Adria, noticing her paled expression. A red message only meant trouble ahead. He quickly answered it. It was a sound byte, a short message transmitted from outside one of the new apartments.

"Wrex, we got a problem!" it was Giger's voice, he sounded stressed. "Shay and Aeacus are fighting! I'm not sure what it's about. But biotics and krogan don't mix! You've got to get over here and fix this, Shay will only listen to -"

The message was cut off by the sound of something like an explosion and then there was nothing but static. He quickly traced the origin of the message, checking which apartment they were outside of, and was surprised to find it was his own.

They quickly headed there, brushing through crowds and bystanders, and came across a large gathering. It seemed krogan's still loved a good old fashioned fight. Visible within the circle were bright flashes of blue light, and what appeared to be a panicked krogan in strange black armour. Grunt pushed his way through the crowd and found Faust pulling Giger away from the fray.

"You two okay?" Grunt asked.

"Fine," Giger said. "They aren't focused on us, but there's a lot of debris flying about the place."

"Adria, Wróg," Grunt called. "Clear this crowd, get them away from here."

They quickly obeyed and got to work. Adria used her blue and orange drone to gently push them away while Wróg set up a biotic field to contain the situation. Adria stood outside the dome with her drone, scaring off the last of the stragglers. Slowly, the crowd dispersed, but they kept the shield up.

Grunt focused his attention on Aeacus and Shay'kera, watching as she charged Aeacus, disappearing in a bright ball of light and appearing behind him. She reared her leg up high; he activated his tech armour as she brought her bioticly charged leg down. His armour shattered and he was pushed down onto his knees.

His hands began to glow and she stepped back, unleashing a shockwave that shattered the ground and threw him off his feet. He lost his control over the biotic ball and it hurtled towards the group. They dived aside and the ball struck, creating an explosion that sent them hurtling forwards.

Wróg was flown into his shield and it flickered and died as he collapsed to the ground. Grunt hit the ground, rolled and charged at Shay'kera, grabbing her arms and pinning them behind her back.

"Let go!" she cried. "I need to teach that pyjack a lesson!"

"Teach him a lesson, but not here!" Grunt ordered. "You could have put people's lives in danger, as well as the lives of your team mates!"

Shay instantly stopped struggling and after a moment he released her.

"You're... right," she said. "I am so sorry, forgive me. It will not happen again, I promise."

"You better be damn sure you keep that promise," he threatened. "Otherwise I'll have to find a krogan to replace you."

She nodded seriously, knowing he would follow through on his threat.

Grunt turned his attention to Giger and Faust, she had a nasty cut on her forehead that covered half of her face in blood and a series of cuts along her right arm. Giger checked her over for any more wounds before turning to glare at Aeacus.

In the background Adria was checking on Wróg, who seemed fine, if just a little shaken at being hit by his own shield. Giger charged towards Aeacus and dragged him to his feet, gripping him by the throat. Grunt went to intervene, but Shay stopped him with a serious look.

"Are you insane?" Giger growled. "What the hell did you think you were doing? You could have killed Faust!"

"It would have been one less female who felt the urge to talk back!" Aeacus hissed.

"What was that?" Giger snarled. "Do you want me to break your skull, whelp?"

"I'd like to see you try, you non-biotic freak!" Aeacus snapped.

"Challenge accepted," Giger smirked.

Giger brought back his head and slammed it into Aeacus. His head snapped back and his crest's chipped, he tripped and fell into the dirt. He felt his crest, feeling the deep jagged chip, and his face turned a whole new shade of rage.

"You... filthy tank-born!" Aeacus cried. "Do you know you've done?!"

"I gave you just a little bit more character," Giger smirked.

"You... you...!"

"Come crying to me when you've got a few more scars, kid," Giger's face was calm, but his eyes were cold.

Aeacus decided not to argue further, not when the whole world seemed to be against him. Sure Wróg was fine, Adria went to Faust and began to see to her wounds. Grunt grabbed Aeacus and stood him beside Shay, they glared at one another and took a step away.

"Now... what the hell happened?" he demanded.

"_She_ attacked me!" Aeacus said.

"I just wanted to ask Aeacus what he thought of my gender," Shay corrected. "He said some things I'd rather not repeat, then issued a challenge. He said if I thought I was so superior - which I _didn't_ say - then I should prove it in combat."

"And no krogan should deny a challenge!" Aeacus said. "Whether it is from a female or male, a challenge ignored is dishonour on your clan and _krantt_."

Now Grunt knew why no one before had disrupted the fight and why so many had gathered to watch. Krogan were still traditionalists at heart and a challenge of honour was not something one walked away from, especially someone like Aeacus. If Clan Jorgal ever heard he had walked away from a fight - and a fight with a female - then he would never hear the end of it.

"You could have picked a better place to battle it out," Grunt said. "I don't care if you had to travel ten miles out of the city, you don't fight in public and endanger the lives of civilians. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," Shay bowed her head.

Aeacus just grunted.

...

"This is... unfortunate."

Wrex grumbled to himself as he looked over the report, next to his desk little Mordin shuffled across the floor, heading towards Grunt's feet. Baby krogan developed fast, compared to humans who took months to crawl and walk and begin talking, krogan children only took a matter of weeks, perhaps a month's top, depending on how fast at learning they were.

Within a few months Mordin would be at the same learning level as a five year-old-human, though he may not be as big as one would expect, he would be able enough to do what most babies couldn't. But for now he was at the difficult phase of teething, and only turian's could match the krogan in that terrible time.

Grunt picked up the child and handed him a thick piece of timber. Mordin gurgled happily and took it, clamping his new teeth down into the wood. Wrex noticed the present and smirked. Had Bakara advised Grunt on what to give their baby? No present was better for a baby krogan then something hard to bite.

Wrex turned his focus back on the report.

"I knew Aeacus had... _issues_," Wrex said. "But I never thought he was such a misogynist."

"He sees women as nothing more than a sexual object and not forgetting he attacked Shay because she confronted him," Grunt remarked. "I don't think I can work with someone like that..."

"Why? Worried he'll say something about Shepard?" Wrex asked.

"You and I both know if he said even one bad thing about Shepard you would be the first one to do something about it," Grunt pointed out.

"True! So very true!" Wrex laughed. "But there isn't much we can do about it. If he keeps up with this attitude I'll have no choice but to get rid of him."

"You'd really do that?" Grunt asked.

"What choice would I have?" Wrex retorted. "He's already pissed off Shay'kera, Giger and you. If Steel hears about what happened then there's another annoyed krogan, not forgetting Skoll who already complained about him."

"Can't we counsel him?" Grunt asked.

"We could, but it's unlikely it'll work," Wrex said. "For now I'll keep him off any assignments, just until we can think of a better solution."

"What happens if you do get rid of him?" Grunt said. "He knows about Aralakh Company and if he sells the information then he could endanger everyone, including Mordin."

Wrex looked at his child, knowing what Grunt said was all too true. Aeacus was just the type to take revenge and bring family into it, but what could they do? Keeping Aeacus in Aralakh Company would only cause more problems for the team, but getting rid of him could endanger problems.

They needed a solution, and fast.

...

A day later and the Krogan Union were greeted by a new addition to their ranks. Grunt thought this was unusual but he forgot how far spread the various clans were, the major clan's may have come together but the smaller and far off clans were still making the journey home.

Despite Wrex's earlier decision to keep Aeacus out of assignments he found his hands were tied with the arrival of Clan Nakmor. Aeacus' clan and Clan Nakmor had been close allies for years and Nakmor's leader was unsure about joining the Union, the Union leaders hoped with Aeacus' persuasion they may join, setting an example for the rest of the scattered clan's.

Wrex assigned Grunt and Skoll to join Aeacus on this assignment, Grunt had done a good job of defusing the fight between Aeacus and Shay'kera while it was a well-known fact that Aeacus was actually quite scared of Skoll. No one was sure why, but Skoll had the kind of effect on people.

So with Grunt and Skoll watching him it was a safe bet Aeacus wouldn't try anything stupid.

"I've never even heard of this clan," Grunt said as they waited outside the airport. "Where are they from?"

"A colony on Tuchanka's moon," Aeacus replied. "Apparently the old krogan built a few colonies up there in order to escape the Genophage, but by the time they arrived they realized they were too late and stayed there."

"Your clan and Nakmor are allies, correct?" Skoll asked.

"Yeah..." Aeacus said. "There's been... a sort of running tradition between the clan's..."

A fairly small star ship arrived and docked. A marking on the hull of a strange looking flower confirmed it as the cruiser of Clan Nakmor. From the cruiser came five krogan and ten guards. Amongst the party of five was the clan leader, the Shaman, the clan representative and two other young female krogan.

"Jorgal Aeacus!" the clan leader beamed. "It has been too long! I am glad to see a friend of Nakmor's has come to greet us."

Aeacus just nodded, his attention focused on the clan representative, a female of almost hazel crest's whose hood had been pulled back to reveal her bright green eyes. Grunt noticed the lingering look in Aeacus' eyes and the awkward way the female tried to avoid his gaze. He sensed they were better acquanted than Aeacus let on.

"One of us will take you to see the Union," Grunt announced. "While the rest of us will take your representative and two other companions on a tour through the new krogan world."

Clan Nakmor introduced the clan representative as Sif, his oldest daughter, while the two other krogan were his younger daughter's Kára and Prima. Grunt was impressed by the fertility of the clan and he realized that the_ 'running tradition'_ Aeacus earlier mentioned probably had something to do with Clan Jorgal's old habit of selling females.

Skoll led the Clan Leader and Shaman to the Union while Grunt and Aeacus took the three sister's on a tour of Tuchanka, when he was sure Aeacus wouldn't upset them Grunt would leave them in his capable hands and return to his duty of guarding the Shaman and Clan Leader.

Kára and Prima were fairly young and being in such a large city excited them, they had never seen so many people in one place. Grunt had his hands full with trying to keep up with them and more than once left Sif in Aeacus' care, which served Aeacus' needs well as he had been waiting weeks to see her again.

"How are things back in Nakmor?" he asked.

"As well as they could be," Sif said. "My brother has quit working for the Blood Pack and has instead settled on something a much less... dangerous."

"That's good," he said. "Your brother always had potential, it would be a shame to see it wasted."

Sif glanced at him, noticing a worried expression. She felt she knew what was plaguing his mind.

"I did receive your message," she told him.

"And?" he said. "What is your answer?"

She stopped and Grunt and her sister's carried on ahead, Aeacus ignored them and focused on his Sif. She didn't look at him, her eyes glued to the ground she struggled with how to tell him how she felt, but she found the strength and steeled her resolve. She set her eyes firmly on him.

"I deny your mating request."

"What?" he gasped. "Why? Isn't this what we used to talk about, the two us together?"

"It was..." she said. "But Aeacus... I can't..."

"Has your father given you to another man?" he asked. "If so I will fight this krogan, I'll-"

"My father hasn't _'given'_ me to anyone!" she snapped. "That isn't the way of Nakmor anymore! We don't sell our females as if we're tender! I will choose who I want to be with... and it's not you."

"But... why?" he demanded. "Ever since we were little, up until our days of the Rite, you promised me-"

"I was a child," she cried. "I didn't know how... terrible you are! Your father is poison, he corrupted you! I know you think of women in the same way your father did! How could I willingly give myself to someone who sees me as part of the furniture?"

"That's..." he didn't bother to correct her, because he knew it was all true.

"So what do you want me to do about it?" he asked.

"What _can_ you do about it?" she retorted. "If you _do_ change it won't be today or tomorrow... it'll be months or years from now."

She tapped his shoulder, trying to give him a reassuring smile.

"Children make stupid promises," she continued, "and adults can make big changes. Do what you need to make yourself a better person."

She left him there to stand and think, to take in what she said and he wished a part of him would accept what she said. He watched her go and her sister's ran to her, bombarding her with everything they had seen and how much they loved Tuchanka and wished to stay.

He waited for a part of him to connect with what she said, for something she said to come back and make him feel guilty or make him want to change. But there was nothing. Not one word she said hurt, because it was all true and he accepted it, and he didn't feel the urge to change.

He loved Sif, he had for years, but now she had denied him and he didn't know where he stood on the matter. Was she right? Did he need to change because it was right? Everyone seemed to hate him because of how he was, so did he need to change to fit to the views of others?

That's not what he was taught, wasn't every child taught to be their selves despite their differences? What was he to do? He watched her, her smile, and he felt so happy to see her smile. Maybe he could change for her, maybe if he tried... or maybe they were wrong.

Maybe they were wrong and he was right.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Sorry if this is late. The next one should come sooner, promise._


	9. Blood Pack

**Chapter Nine: Blood Pack**

Grunt stood on the office balcony, looking down on Tuchanka as the pale moon appeared over the horizon and basked the land in a pale otherworldly glow, and he yawned. He wasn't used to guard duty, especially so late at night, even after three days of it he felt his head grow heavy as sleep tried to consume him.

He could see the faint lights of the Senate in the distance and over the silence the occasional thunder of tools and drills, the last minute checks and finishing touches before all the leaders of Tuchanka could finally come together and prepare the next phase of their plan.

At the start of the Golden Era - as it had been called - Wrex had outlined the plans for Tuchanka's future quite clearly and everyone had agreed to follow his basic guide. As Grunt looked down at the Senate he remembered the speech Wrex gave to all the clan leaders when they gathered around the ruins of the fallen Reapers.

_"Our enemies our gone. The Citadel has personally thanked us for efforts. And Tuchanka has been scarred - **again** - by war. So what does this mean for us? It means a fresh start... if not for Shepard our entire race would be destroyed and we will not honour her sacrifice by continuing to in-fight! We will rebuild - first by fixing Tuchanka, then reforming our government, and then we're going to argue our way, if necessary, back into the list of Citadel races! We will be one with the rest of the galaxy again."_

It was a rousing speech that put many clan leaders into place, others were slower to embrace this new idea of unity and of returning to the Citadel, but it now seemed all those fears and doubt that had followed them through the first few months had been for nothing.

He didn't know if the Citadel would accept them, after everything that had happened in the past he wondered if anyone would ever forgive the krogan for their mistakes. He knew how deep grudges could run, how hatred could fester and poison, but he also knew compassion and what wonders it could do for the spirit.

His guard duty was part of a simple assignment to keep watch of Wrex's office just until the leaders came together and he could switch posts with someone else. Now was the time for rebels to come and try to ruin things, when things were almost near completion.

If losing three nights of sleep could spare the krogan race of sabotage then it was a price worth paying.

The office door opened and a familiar female entered.

"Oh, hey Shay," he greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to trade posts," she said. "You've been here for three days so I'll take the next three."

"Ok," he yawned again. "Good... I could use the rest."

"You'll need your strength for when the leaders come together," she agreed. "There's no guarantee someone won't try something."

"I was just thinking about that..." he said. "Who would want to destroy this union? Who benefits from it?"

"I can think of some," she replied. "But it's just a theory, no need to act on it until we know for sure if something's going to happen."

He nodded in agreement, but didn't move. He felt the urge to stay and talk, even though the whole point of watch duty was to stand and watch, not make conversation. He wasn't quite sure why he felt the need to stay, all he knew was that he would rather spend some time with Shay'kera.

She frowned at him, "Aren't you... going to leave?" she asked.

"O-oh right," he said, blushing and quickly ran out.

He felt the heat coming off his face and wondered why he had been so keen on staying and why he felt so warm. This wasn't like him. Maybe he was sick, perhaps staying up all night and getting very little sleep during the day was making him unwell.

_Maybe I'm not as perfect as Okeer imagined,_ he thought.

...

He slept for the rest of the night and much of next morning, until he decided it was probably best he got up and did something productive with his day. He was still very tired, despite waking up at noon, and as he sat slumped at his kitchen table he decided to call Shepard.

She had given him her contact information and from what he knew she was staying at the Citadel, getting her wounds seen too and having her care arranged by the Councillors. He knew her face had been all over the news, he had just never bothered to keep track of the events.

Wrex had kept a keen eye on the whole situation, making sure she was getting the best treatment most probably, and occasionally he would comment on how he was planning on seeing her soon or how he couldn't wait for her to come and see Mordin Junior and how much Tuchanka had changed.

Grunt was almost surprised at how close Wrex and Shepard truly were, many others wouldn't have noticed, but Grunt was close to both his clan leader and his old commander and he knew them well. He remembered Wrex before, in one of his more nostalgic moments, remembering_ 'nights on the Normandy'_ with his favourite commander.

Thinking on it, Grunt realized there were many implications to what Wrex had said. Surely Shepard and he hadn't... had they? No, they couldn't have without someone noticing. On the old Normandy any of the human crew would have jumped on such gossip, so why did Grunt feel as though there was a far deeper connection to Wrex and Shepard?

Grunt didn't want to think about such a potential affair or all the reports he had seen. He knew she was alive, he didn't need a constant news cast to remind him of what he already knew. He wondered how the world was reacting to the news she was alive, it was twice now that she had surprised all by coming back from the dead.

He sat at his terminal and dialled her number on the new and annoying communication system an asari had designed. For a human with a general knowledge of their past they would recognize the design as being very similar to a 1930s telephone, except with a built in terminal that would relay a live-feed.

Grunt thought it was rather primitive, but one krogan leader absolutely loved the design and insisted every new home would have one. It had been modified so instead of the traditional dial of numbers each number represented a person, in this case Wrex was number 1 and Shepard was number 2.

It wasn't so much the design Grunt disliked, it was holding the bloody phone in his hand. Had the asari not realized krogan had pretty big hands? The tiny little thing looked so stupid, like a children's toy in the hands of a giant.

After a slight wait Shepard's head appeared on screen and she burst into a fit of laughter at the sight of the small thing pressed gingerly to the side of his face.

"What _is_ that in your hand?" she giggled. "It looks so... I'm sorry."

"It's... fine," he said. "I know they look stupid but they're practically everywhere. There's really no avoiding them."

"Well, you'll get used to them eventually," she said. "So why the call?"

"Just wanted to check up on you," he replied. "I was just wondering how you was coping with the celebrity and your wounds."

"My wounds are fine," she said. "I can handle those. It's the reporters I can't stand. I gave Emily Wong an interview once I was settled, but that was to mostly piss off Jilani. She think's by acting chummy she can get a good interview."

"Jilani's a bitch," Grunt agreed. "Leave her to stew in jealousy... or punch her - _again_."

"Tempting," she smirked.

"So what how are things?" he asked.

"Where to start?" she said. "The Councillors eagerly accepted me back and sent the news out, so I've had reporters after me ever since I got back. I've got my new prosthetics, courtesy of Sirta Foundation. They're much nicer to look at and connect to the nerves much better too. I also filed my report _and_ had a psych report."

"What did it say?" he asked.

"It... wasn't good," she sighed. "Honestly, Grunt, they think I might be unable to return to the line of duty. I may have to put it aside until I either fully recover or until they find a new position for me."

"But on Equality you -"

"They said it was likely due to maternal instinct," she said. "It wasn't the soldier in me, but rather the mother."

"Funny, I don't see you as the motherly type," he teased.

"If not for that motherly instinct you'd have been in a lot of trouble," she retorted.

"You should know me better," he replied. "I wouldn't let some third rate assassin take me out."

"I know," she smiled.

She noticed an odd look on his face, the look of a resisting young man with something on his mind that he desperately wanted to bring up but had no idea how to do so or even what his problem was. It was a look Shepard hadn't expected to see on his face.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Uh... not really," he said and quickly looked away.

"You sure?" she insisted. "You look like you have something on your mind."

He looked back, pouting slightly. "Well... there _is_ something," he said hesitantly.

"Yes...?"

"There's... a female on my team."

"Oh...?"

"And, for some reason, I can't seem... to get her out of my head."

Shepard smiled, that knowing smile that always used to bug him.

"What?" he said. "What is it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she said. "I thought Okeer would have programmed you to understand a very normal emotion."

"Apparently not..." Grunt muttered. "What's wrong with me?"

"There's nothing wrong with you," she assured him. "You just have some... personal... feelings for your team mate."

Grunt looked at her, at the very serious look on her face, and he could only think of one very appropriate response.

"You're kidding, right?"

...

_Somewhere_

In a dark part of Tuchanka in the old ruins of a once forgotten clan twelve krogan sat, huddled around a campfire and roasting an old varren they had won in a bet. They sat in what was once the main hall, a dome-shaped room with holes in the ceiling that let in moonlight and ivy.

In the centre of the room was an old throne, the remains of an armoured krogan still safely secured, while lining the walls were pillars and armour statues that they were certain were filled with old bones. Portraits hung along the wall, ancient and moulding, this place was where the last of the noble clan's died.

Now it was considered a Hollow, a sacred place where violence was forbidden lest someone was keen on being sent to the Void. It was the perfect place for fleeing members of the Blood Pack to hide as they arranged to put their plans into action.

The Blood Pack had lost a considerable amount of power with the formation of the Union, krogan who took a position within the mercenary group merely because there was no other work or were tired of a life as a mercenary returned to Tuchanka and helped to rebuild the home world.

The few krogan who remained were either too old or stubborn to change, or rebels who wanted to destroy the Union and have things return to normal. There was profit in what they did, to live a normal life meant losing freedom and money and having someone else decide the rules that would eventually shape your destiny.

But there weren't enough krogan to help begin an uprising, in fact, after nine months the Blood Pack mostly consisted of batarians and vorcha and all the previous battle master leaders were practically all gone. After nine months all Ganar Korfan could find were eleven same-minded krogan.

"Should we even be here?" one said. "This is the ground of Clan Tase'la - and everyone knows the stories that cling to this place."

"You're not afraid of ghost's, are you?"

"...No."

"He's just afraid the dreaded Okeer Twin's will find out and break us in two, as they have promised to do to any who trespass."

"But doing that will break the code of the Hollows - they wouldn't really, would they?"

"Of course not! They would wait for us to first leave and _then_ break us."

From a crate to the far side Korfan silently watched his new squad interact and he realized just how young they all were, by krogan standards they were young men and perfectly capable of deciding their fate, but that's where the problem lied.

They had been brought up as Blood Pack since the day they were born, they didn't know any other life because they had been Blood Pack and so had their parents. This new way of life scared them more than any charging brute or firing squad.

Korfan was different, while he had known nothing other than the Blood Pack he did know how the world worked and the benefits of a life as a mercenary and he was certain to keep things the way they were. While this new krogan thinking did scare him he knew he could use it to his advantage, if he simply got rid of some of the leaders.

Characters like Urdnot Wrex were a threat, as were other Senators like Clan Khel and Clan Forsan. If he got rid of them and simply replaced them with those who were a bit more open to the Blood Pack and their cause then perhaps they could legalise the mercenary unit in such a way it became almost like conscription.

Young krogan at a certain age would be enrolled to serve in the Blood Pack for a set amount of years, earning more money for Korfan and securing his place in the new world. It didn't matter if a few krogan died in order to preserve his dream, he would continue what his father started when he first founded the Blood Pack.

...

_Three Nights Later_

Some time had passed since Grunt's talk with Shepard and part of what she said now made some sense. Perhaps he did have feelings for Shay'kera, but it seemed so sudden and he was acting like such a pyjack he was surprised that he could even have feelings for her.

He always assumed Okeer would programme him to seek out a female who was as genetically perfect as he was in order to continue his legacy, and yet Shay was like an average krogan, except she was a lot tougher than most, she was smarter too, and not forgetting she had such a gorgeous tone of...

Grunt couldn't finish the thought, surprised at how suddenly it had shifted. He had gone from simply thinking about her to wanting to be by her side and to just look at her, admire her for what she was. It was true. Grunt had feelings for Shay'kera.

He pondered this as he stood outside Wrex's office, ready for his new assignment. He entered and was more than a little surprised to find Steel had returned, he had heard Steel was to have another several days free. If he had returned so soon something must have happened.

Skoll and Shay were also present. Grunt avoided her gaze in fear of his face flushing an embarrassing shade and came to stand to beside Steel. Now closer to him Grunt saw the way Steel's face twisted into a dark scowl, his eyes hardening into balls of ice.

What _had_ happened?

"Good, you're all here," Wrex sounded flustered. "The opening of the Senate is going to be in six hours. Every clan leader will be coming here, finalizing the Union."

"And something's gone wrong?" Shay'kera guessed.

"Yes..." Wrex sighed. "Members of the Blood Pack were spotted in the remains of Clan Tase'la and shipping in... _something_. Sources claim they're ingredients for explosions, if that's true then there's only thing they could possibly want."

"They'd dare defile the resting place of my father in such a way-!" Steel growled. "I'll have their heads stuck outside the grounds as a warning for others!"

"You forget your clan is now a Hollow," Skoll remarked. "To attack them in such a sacred place would bring dishonour upon their memories and yourself."

"But it can't be avoided," Wrex said. "They'll fight when they see you coming... and Clan Tase'la is one of the more sacred Hollows, if anything was to be disturbed-"

"Then what do we do?" Grunt asked. "Is this a stealth ops assignment?"

"Yes," Wrex replied. "Go in, take each of them out quietly and burn their remains outside after disposing of whatever they have."

"What if they don't have explosions?" Skoll asked, though the question was more directed at Steel.

"Then... leave them," Steel answered. "While having the Blood Pack in my home darkens our legacy it... is still a home to some."

"If you're sure..." Wrex said.

"I am," Steel assured him. "Now, where's our gear? I want this over before the opening ceremony."

...

Grunt watched him carefully, wondering if Steel could so easily accept spilling blood on the land of his father. He seemed so calm, but inside he was a torrent of emotions, a hate and sadness clashing together in a deadly blow that he feared would have terrible repercussions.

They dressed all in black and light armour, provided with recon helmets that had dimmed lights and were given nothing but a knife and a small silenced pistol. They left just as the sky darkened, providing them with the necessary cover as they took an inconspicuous vehicle across the growing city to the backwoods, arriving in the Old Plains, as they were so fondly referred too.

They were now the forgotten lands of Tuchanka, places of wild spindly trees and roaming thresher maws and varren packs, a place where the sun was always to your back and the last trail of water was miles back. It was a place where powerful krogan were born.

Clan Raik was in a similar condition and gave shape to even greater and far more dangerous warriors, no surprise from a place that birthed the meaning of Aralakh.

They parked the cab somewhere far and followed Steel as he led them through the high arched pillars that stood as sentinels before the domed temple. Steel glanced back at the pillars, now covered in thorns and missing some of its ancient bricks.

He couldn't remember a time when it looked different.

"Grunt and Shay, take the western entrance," he ordered. "It's just below a statue. Just move a loose brick and a door will open. Skoll, we'll take the eastern door."

Grunt wanted to protest, not only because he was supposed to lead this team, but because sticking him with Shay'kera seemed like the worst possible thing anyone could have done at that moment. His feelings were more out of shape than a hanar meeting a prothean, how could they expect him to cope with Shay in such a dangerous situation?

But he didn't argue, now was not the time nor place and this was Steel's home - it was only fair he made the decisions, not just because of where they were, but because he knew all of Clan Tase'la's secrets and was the only one who could exploit it.

Grunt and Shay quickly sprang into action, sneaking across the scattered varren bones and through thorns and shadows until they reached a statue. It was of a thresher maw, posed and raised like a viper and along its body were ancient scribbles of a long dead language.

Grunt reached for its base, finding a loose brick and pulled it free. The floor before them opened, splitting in two to reveal a dark and dusty staircase. Using the night vision system in their hoods they journeyed into the dark, further into the belly of Clan Tase'la.

...

It was almost time. Korfan could feel it as the outside forces approached. His men didn't realize, they weren't aware of his true intentions. They thought they were just going to blow up the Senate and take out a few leaders and replace them, but there so much more to it than that.

It wasn't just political, it was a message, and he was determined to make sure it was loud and clear. These krogan who lurked in the shadows didn't change his plan's much, he may not be able to take out his original targets but destroying a sacred burial ground would surely get his point across.

...

It was cold down here with the dead, he thought by now he would be accustomed to the chill of the deceased, but perhaps getting used to such a thing was not in his best interest. Shepard had always told him to never completely switch yourself off, when you saw death it had to hurt, even if just a little, it reminded you that you were alive.

Through the tunnel they went, into the darkness and over the bones of forgotten warriors and other creatures Grunt didn't want to think about, though he was certain he saw the left overs of a long-dead salarian. They pushed past webs of dust and debris until they arrived at the exit and found they had arrived at the very top of the dome, looking down at from the safety of rafters.

They laid low and followed the rafters, coming to the main hall and found twelve krogan gathered around a fire. One, who they assumed was the leader, gave an order that they all heard.

"Check the area."

"Yeah," another said, "we wouldn't want anyone finding us before we have chance to blow up the Senate."

"Quiet!" snapped a third voice. "Why don't you just tell every varren and maw in the area!"

The leader repeated his order, sterner this time, and eleven krogan stood and went in separate directions, going into different rooms as they surveyed the area.

Grunt caught sight of Steel and Skoll, prowling in the shadows above. Steel gave them a sharp nod and they went to work, passing along the rafters and into the rooms, searching out their prey. Steel stayed where he was and waited, his gaze fixated on the krogan below.

He clutched his knife, ready to sink his blade into the base of his skull and rip the crest's from his body.

...

Grunt followed his target, keeping a quick but cautious pace, and was surprised at how agile he was. There were secrets to his body even he wasn't aware of, how many more would he discover before his time was up? There was so much Okeer didn't teach him, things he had to learn from Shepard, things he wanted to learn from Steel.

His target stopped and Grunt pounced, landing silently behind the krogan and wrapped an arm around his throat and pressed the knife into his neck. The krogan froze, his hands trembling as he slowly reached for his gun. Grunt dug the blade deeper and slit his throat, letting the body drop to the ground as blood pooled around him.

Shedding blood in the Hollows... it was horrible, a terrible price to pay for serving his race, a sin even upon the memories of the krogan who had fallen in battle. Grunt had never asked how Tase'la had fallen, he had never wanted to bring up such a sensitive subject with either Steel or Giger, but it's fall was legendary.

Tase'la was great, as Urdnot had once been and was again, and its leader and his family were considered as great as royalty with a warrior's prowess and a politician's skill. The clan's leader led his people like a small - but powerful - nation, where they never fought for food, females or any other means of living.

And then one night, twenty years ago, they all dissapeared. All that was left was the standing pillars of armour and bones, the deceased warlord who sat on his throne as if he was still alive and all his court men and people stood in the same position as they had died in decades ago.

What was so powerful it had wiped out an entire clan in one night?

He shook off the thoughts that swirled around his head like a dark cloud. He saw no reason to further disturb the dead by pondering on the clan's demise, instead he focused on Shay'kera and wondered briefly how she was doing, before moving onto his next target.

...

By now Korfan was alone, none of his men had come back from a routine patrol that should have taken ten minutes and he knew he was all that was left to spread the message. That was fine. All it took was one krogan to make a difference and change public opinion.

He stood, securing his armour into place, and turned casually to the figure that had emerged from the shadows. He was surprised that the stranger had made such a direct approach, but it worked out to his benefit, now he could go out with a much bigger bang.

"I assume by your so direct attack that you are one of the Tase'la brothers," Korfan observed. "No other assassin would have risked their advantage by approaching me so openly. So let me guess... Giger?"

Steel removed his hood, throwing it to the ground.

"Ah, one out of two isn't so bad," Korfan shrugged. "Though, I never expected to find Steel on Tuchanka. I mean, I've heard some stories about the Alkoras..."

"You're Ganar Korfan," Steel quickly interrupted. "I knew your father well, I served under him for some years."

"Before or after he went mad?" Korfan asked.

"He was always mad."

"Such a shame... my father had a great vision, but his mind was too weak to comprehend all the thoughts in his head and turn them into actions."

"Your father was always mad, the moment he thought it was right to sell the krogan as a military asset. His death served our race proud by getting rid of one bad egg..." Steel drew his blade. "Now I finish his legacy."

Korfan smiled.

"You seem awfully calm for a man about to die," Steel remarked.

"You don't seem to realize that my death means so much more than one less 'bad egg'," Korfan replied. "I am a martyr, as are my brothers you and your team so easily butchered."

Korfan grabbed his chest plate and ripped it off, throwing it to the ground at Steel's feet. Steel saw nothing but wires at first, then he realized what it was, as terribly conceived as it was he saw a bomb. It was rushed, constructed out of poor materials, made by someone who knew little about explosives.

But he didn't doubt that Korfan was serious, if he was anything like his father then he was as mad as he was. He would do whatever he needed to, whatever it took, no matter who suffered and no matter who he lied too. Korfan was going to destroy the krogan as his father had destroyed Tase'la.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_**SO** sorry this is late, but I was sick all last week and I couldn't drag myself onto the laptop without my head exploding. So I thought an extra-long chapter would make up for my absence._


	10. Stories We Tell Our Children

**Chapter Ten: Stories We Tell Our Children**

_Clan Tase'la, Twenty Years Ago_

_Not all things on Tuchanka were cruel and ugly, not everything had great teeth or jagged claws, and yet each crevice and hole and desert seemed to be filled with varren and thresher maws and other such terrible creatures of the dark, twisted night._

_There were exceptions, however, and these creatures lived in a place that was light and warm. Clan Tase'la was a land much like the Old World, before it had been scarred by war and in-fighting. It had harsh flowers and hard people, but it was a place where a krogan could go and be in touch with their roots._

_No one was quite sure why Tase'la had been so fortunate, why it was so untouched by the events that had plagued every other corner of the world. Rumours were it was because the clan leader was so great at keeping things in check, or because he sold his soul to a salarian to keep things the way they were._

_Whatever the reason, Tase'la was great and like all great empires its fall was inevitable._

_Krogan children grow incredibly fast, so by the time he was four he should have had a mind and body of a much greater individual, but the child who would one day be called Steel was not entirely krogan and so by the time he was four he was no different to any other child his age._

_He crouched by a pond, admiring the fish with great colourful fins like feathers and scales that reflected the light in such a way it shined like rubies. He heard these fish were delicious, and as such they were rare, there were not many rivers you would find such a beautiful creature._

_His brother and father approached him, the small dark-crested whelp clung to his father's thick leg and the old, scarred krogan grinned in delight. Their father was huge, even for a krogan, with greyish crests and scars and green eyes. His armour was older than him, as hard as it was to believe._

_Like his two children he had no name. When Tase'la was founded so many years ago by their father and mother he was known as Tase'la, but they gave up their names as they were deemed unnecessary and those who came to live in the clan followed their leader's example, referring to one another as 'love' or 'brother'._

_"What do you see in the pond, my son?" he asked._

_"Fish," young Steel replied. "They're pretty... I want one."_

_"Those fish are not yours," he said, "they belong to the clan. If you took one away wouldn't it be selfish?"_

_Steel pouted, "S'Pose..." he mumbled._

_Father smiled and took the child from his leg and put him down beside his brother, he then took a seat on the soft ground that was almost grass-like and his children joined him. He had always loved his children's eyes, though the children were not his own he treated them as such, they helped to ease the pain when his mate passed onto the Void three years earlier._

_"It's a shame you did not meet your mother," he said. "She was a great warrior, all trembled when she came to the battlefield."_

_"Was she nice?" Giger asked._

_The question surprised Tase'la. It was not something krogan children asked their Elders. Though his children were not soft like a salarian they weren't like other children either, he was aware of who created these boys and what his intentions were, but he did not know what they were exactly._

_He had never seen a krogan with blue eyes, or one with such silver crests or dark crests for that matter. They didn't age like krogan or even smell entirely like one, they were something else and it had been one of the reasons Tase'la was hesitant in taking them in._

_His mate was the one who found them. She went to see the Warlord and ordered him to leave, his presence made many uncomfortable, yet she returned with two babies and Okeer stayed for another two days before leaving. Perhaps it was because she had no children of her own, or because she knew what would happen if they were left alone, whatever the reason she kept them._

_"Yes..." he replied. "Your mother was a kind female."_

_"I wish I met her," Steel said._

_"So do I, little young," Tase'la sighed._

_Another krogan appeared, entering the small garden with its twisted trees and sharp horned flowers, and approached Tase'la. He bowed his head respectively and Steel recognized the stranger's armour, it was dark and black, with beautiful curls and twists. One day Giger would wear the very same armour._

_That krogan was a guard, though Steel didn't know him, he did at that age recognize the armour and its rank and what it stood for._

_"Leader, Ganar Wrang is outside the grounds and demands to be seen," the guard informed them._

_"Wrang?" Tase'la repeated. "That Blood Pack pyjack?"_

_The guard nodded. "I don't know what he wants," he said, "but his men are getting agitated."_

_Tase'la frowned worryingly, "I'll see him now," he stood and patted each of his son's crests. "I'll meet them in the throne room. Brother -" he turned directly to the guard. "-take my son's outside and let them play in the fields."_

_"Are you sure?" he asked. "The Blood Pack would never try anything, not here."_

_"Just do it," Tase'la ordered. "I don't trust Wrang as far as I can throw his ugly hide."_

_"Yes, sir," the guard obeyed._

_The guard grabbed the boy's hands and gently led them away. Giger tried to climb the guard's arm, giggling innocently, while Steel glanced back at his father who suddenly seemed to slouch as all of his responsibilities came back for him._

_He wondered now, if he had known this was to be the last time he would ever see his father, what would he have done differently?_

_..._

_Now_

Steel stared at Korfan, a mad glint in his eyes, and Steel was so reminded of Wrang. That night twenty years ago Wrang took everything and now his son was going to finish the job, he was going to destroy all that was left of Tase'la and with it, Steel.

Giger would be all alone. Keelah would grow up without her father. And Ryö...

Steel gritted his teeth, wishing that Okeer had infused him with the biotic touch, then he could just crush Korfan's head and end the Ganar blood line before any other clan suffered. But what could he do? If he took a step forwards then Korfan would kill them all, but what if he could keep him talking until someone came to his aid?

He glanced to the recon helmet on the floor, and noticed a flashing red light inside. It was Grunt, reporting back with his success most probably. The helmets were designed so communication between allies couldn't get through, but in its current condition it may save him.

Steel couldn't hear Grunt, but chances were Grunt could hear him. The system was designed specifically to take in sounds but not to release any when it laid so on the ground, if a helmet was discarded it was often because the wearer was dead, so the clever system allowed for the other side to hear the enemy without giving themselves away.

"Okay, I get it," Steel said. "You're the leader with the big scary bomb trying to make a point... but what point _is_ there in destroying my home?"

"I did have my heart set on taking out a few Senators," Korfan admitted. "I had such an excellent plan, but really, finishing what my father started seemed like the best way to go out. Maybe if you had kept to your stealth tactics you would have killed me and prevented this all."

"I doubt that would have worked," Steel cringed. "A man like you would never just die. I bet that thing is wired into your heart, so the moment you die that bomb takes everyone out with you."

"Clever boy," Korfan smiled. "I heard you were the smarter brother."

Steel had a quick glance around, trying to make out any of his team mates. Where were they? Surely one of his two biotics should have been here by now, they weren't that far away, unless they weren't yet finished and if so he needed more time.

Good thing Korfan was talkative.

"You know... before you go to the Void... there's something you should know," Steel said.

"Before _we_ go to the Void," Korfan corrected.

"Right, whatever," Steel rolled his eyes. "Your father, do you know how he died?"

Korfan frowned, now for the first time seeming uncertain. "... No..." he admitted. "My father and I... we were not close. I heard he missing on Omega."

"Oh? So do you actually know what happened?" Steel asked. "Do you know what he did here?"

"I know he killed your clan," Korfan said. "Shouldn't that be enough?"

"Then why didn't he kill me and my brother?" Steel questioned. "How did we end up in the Blood Pack when they were the ones who took everything?"

Korfan didn't say anything, but Steel saw the look in his eyes - the thirst for knowledge, the answer to a question he himself had been wondering ever since he discovered the Okeer Twin's had been taken in by the very same man who had killed their father.

"Wrang destroyed my clan with a bio bomb," Steel explained. "As such, it's designed to wipe out all organic material while leaving all the inorganics in place. That's why every suit of armour has remained in its place, though it couldn't have been that strong a bomb as it left all the bones. Me, my brother and a guard were not within the bomb's range and so were not killed.

"Your father found us some hours later when he came to check his success. He killed the guard and stole his armour - luckily Giger got it back some years later - and decided it was a waste to kill such promising soldiers who were yet to be indoctrinated by his lies. So we became Blood Pack, we learned all their tricks and eventually all their secrets.

"No one had ever told us what happened to our father or the clan, not until we were much older and we learnt the truth from Clan Raik. From there we tracked down Okeer, who filled in who we were. After much digging we found out what happened to our clan..."

Korfan didn't need Steel to finish his life story, he had realized fairly quickly where this story was going, and his blood boiled. This creature had killed his father? This... _thing?!_ He wasn't even a krogan, he was just a tank-born half-ling who didn't deserve to be called krogan.

"When did you kill him?" Korfan asked.

"The rumours of your father vanishing on Omega are close to the truth," Steel answered. "He took us and several others to Omega, he wanted to sell our services to Aria, but we got to her first and made a deal. She asked to meet him alone, so obviously he took us as protection, but before the meeting could begin I slit his throat."

Steel made the gesture with his own knife, just to make his point hit harder. Korfan was trembling with rage now, his thoughts blurred red and he forgot all about the bomb. He had searched for his father's killer for years, rarely did Blood Pack member just goes 'missing'. He knew there was more to it.

"You traitorous whelp!" he snarled. "My father took you in and you-"

"Your father killed mine!" Steel retorted. "A life for a life, wouldn't you agree?"

Korfan roared, a twist of pain and anger, torn between vengeance and his goal. Luckily for him, he had the opportunity to get both.

He smashed a fist into his bomb, hitting several wires and one button, and he exploded into a bright flare of orange and red. It expanded and shot out, firing upwards and across the floor, reaching for Steel and the fallen knights of Tase'la.

Steel covered his face, wishing Keelah and Ryö one final goodbye before he was to be shipped to the Void, but the heat suddenly stopped and the air grew colder. He slowly removed his arms and he saw the fire had frozen, the flames retracting as a force pushed it back to its centre.

He made out the cool texture of a biotic field and Grunt emerged from the shadows, one blue fist clenched as he kept the fire in place until it eventually fizzled and died as its oxygen was chocked away. He opened his hand and thick smoke arose from the spot where a clump of ash lay, the stink boiled flesh following it.

Steel didn't wonder how long Grunt had been hiding in the shadows or how much Grunt had heard, he was just glad to be alive. He turned away from the ash and smoke and rubbed the back of his neck, the faintest trace of relief clear on his face.

"Left it to the last minute didn't you?" he smirked.

"The hero always shows up at the last second," Grunt retorted. "Besides, you were never really in any danger."

"Oh? How so?"

"I would never have let Korfan take Keelah's father away."

Steel turned to Grunt, almost looking surprise before his face calmed for a second. Grunt smiled at his tank-bred brother and a huge smile of gratitude appeared on Steel's face.

"Thanks," he said. "I knew I could trust you."

"Just doing my job," Grunt returned.

Shay'kera appeared from the tunnels and walked towards them, Skoll close on her heels. Both carried bloody knives and appeared tired of the dark place that was once home.

She pointed at the ash, "I assume that's what's left of Korfan," she remarked.

"Then you'd be right," Steel said.

"Then with him and his comrades dead we can finish our job," Skoll said. "Let's take these bodies outside and burn them."

"Let's get started," Steel said somewhat enthusiastically.

"No, not you," Grunt ordered. "You've seen your home dishonoured enough in one night. Go outside and wait for us."

"If you're sure..." he said.

"Go," Shay insisted. "We can do this."

He didn't argue further, quickly leaving the warm place and taking a step into the cool night air. He sat down in the dirt, looking up at the sky and admired the stars, and felt an over-whelming sense of relief. Another man who had trespassed and sought to do wrong in his home had been taken care of.

Once again Tase'la's spirit could rest for another night.

He smirked, "I guess this is a story I can Keelah... when she's a little older."

...

_The Senate_

Wrex quite liked the mallet, banging it with far too much enthusiasm he could send a whole crowd into a silence that made him feel a power he had never felt before. It was a political power, one he had underestimated in his younger days but had come to rely on now in his new life.

Around him the clan leaders sat, full of joy and praise, as they had finally come to a unanimous decision. It had taken some hours and lots of arguing, but Tuchanka couldn't first approach the Citadel without first getting its people to agree.

Now, finally, they were ready to move forwards.

Beside Wrex was an open terminal, Councillor Sparatus' face visible on screen as the turian had to endure hours of arguing and decide if it was best for the krogan to come back. The krogan had helped saved Palaven, for that he owed them, and though these hours had fried his senses he saw the krogan had truly changed.

"Then are we agreed, Councillor?" Wrex asked. "Can the krogan come back to list of Citadel races?"

"I... don't see why not," Sparatus replied. "You assisted in the rescue of Palaven, you helped us defeat the Reapers, and Shepard holds your kind in high regard. Others will argue that you will repeat your mistakes, but saying that means the turians will repeat the same mistakes, and we have all grown and moved on. I will speak with the other Councillors and will speak to you again once we have settled a date for your re-election."

"Thank you, Councillor," Wrex said.

Sparatus merely nodded and closed the signal.

There was a brief silence, it lasted for what felt like an eternity and held there for a second more, but then it was shattered by a rather undignified - but justified - roars of joy as the new Senators jumped out of their seats and cheered as the Golden Era finally left its mark on history.

Wrex smiled, he supposed this was going to be a story he was going to tell Mordin and whatever other children he may have in the future, and then they would tell their children. It would be a story to tell all children.

But first, it was time for a few rounds of ryncol.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Another chapter! Yay! This was going to be longer because I wanted to include a little more of a back story on Steel, mostly how he left the Blood Pack and became a member of the Alkoras, but I decided it was best to leave it for now._


	11. Legacy

**Chapter Eleven: Legacy**

_The Citadel, Chora's Den_

The bar was filled with krogan that day, more than usual. The bar tender didn't quite know what to make of it, he had never seen so many krogan in one place without a single fight breaking out, yet the krogan that day were all smiles and fighting was the last thing on their minds.

He noticed one krogan who sat alone at the bar, while his kinsmen ordered more rounds and enjoyed the dancers, and every other drink looking on in bewilderment and in expectation of a fight, the old krogan sat staring at his drink.

"Hey, old man," the bar tender called. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

The krogan turned to him, the typical hard krogan glare on his face that made the batarian regret his decision to speak up. The krogan took a swig of his ryncol and looked back at the party.

"You mean why are there so many krogan on the Citadel today?" he asked.

"Uh... yeah," the bar tender said. "There are always krogan on the Citadel, but... there's just so many here today."

"You didn't hear?" the krogan said. "Our leaders are going to argue their way back into the list of Citadel races."

"What? Really?" he gasped. "But how did they get an audience with the Councillors so soon? Is it because you helped in the Invasion? We helped too and no one's returning the favour!"

"We started rebuilding Tuchanka on our own and everyone else offered," the krogan said. "We didn't ask for help, we started on our own and now we're finishing on our own. If you batarians stopped feeling sorry for yourselves and actually did something then maybe you'd make some progress."

The batarian looked like he wanted to argue, but there was logic in what the old krogan said, and he left it at that. He turned away and focused his attention on some other drinker, leaving Raik Skoll to wonder if he truly had become an 'old man'.

He had never thought of himself as old, but here he was sitting in a bar filled with attractive asari, and he sat in the corner away from all the fun and just drunk. Shay'kera and Grunt were exploring the Citadel, enjoying their free time as Wrex and other leaders spoke with the Councillors.

Grunt was keen on seeing Shepard while he had the time, introducing Shay at the same time felt oddly like some kind of ploy to get mommy's approval. But what did he know? He was just eight hundred years ago, he fought the Reapers on Earth, what did he know?

He looked down on his drink. He had suddenly lost all desire to finish his ryncol.

While Grunt and Shay'kera had been brought along as additional security along with Skoll, none of them had much of a job to do, not when Commander Shepard was still on the Citadel and not when she was in full control of security. The Councillors wanted her opinion on the subject, and she was put in charge of the security.

It was nice to know they finally trusted her.

Skoll played with his glass, turning it in circles, and he thought of Shay'kera. She resembled her mother in more than a few ways, she had the same coloured crests and the same fighting style, and she didn't like rude males or weak females.

But she had his eyes.

That was one the only thing Skoll had ever done that had made an impact on her life, besides helping to conceive her. Skoll was not a stupid krogan; he had lived long enough and had fought in too many battles and wars to know that any stranger could have the potential to affect anyone's life.

And Hündin Königin was just one of those people, she affected his life as much as he touched hers.

...

Shay'kera silently followed Grunt through the Citadel. She had never been to the Citadel before; life in the Lotta-Signorina Clan was restricted at the best of times, in fact up until she was assigned to serve in Aralakh Company she had never actually left Tuchanka.

"Are there fish in the ponds?" she asked him.

"No," he smirked in memory of a similar question he had once heard. "You can buy some, there's a shop here that sells exotic breeds of fish. Even a space hamster."

"What's a hamster?" she asked.

"It's a furry thing from Earth," he explained.

"Can you eat it?"

"No."

"Then what's the point in having a small creature if you're not going to eat it?"

She couldn't see, but Grunt's smile was growing even bigger by the second. He was starting to like her more and more. He wondered, what would Shepard make of this female companion he was so fond of? She was aware of his feelings, but what would she think of Shay'kera?

Grunt knew Shepard had been put charge in of security, she may not even have time to speak to them, but he was hoping for the chance. They came to where Shepard and the rest of her security detail were holed up, after a moment of background checks security waved them through.

Many guards knew Grunt from his previous career as a member of the Normandy SR-2 and of his efforts during the Reaper Invasion on Tuchanka, so few were willing to get in his way and argue. They passed through to a long chamber where they were scanned, weapons taken, and then taken into another room.

This one was plain, with many guards and surveillance. The door at the other end of the room opened and Shepard emerged. She no longer resembled that pale and thin creature he had seemed on Equality, the one who had stared sadly at her weakened body. She was starting to look a little bit more like her old self.

Her new prosthetics were shiny and smooth, reminding him almost of a augment implant, while a thin - but strong - brace had been constructed around the weaker leg. Her armour was not like her old, beloved and dented purple armour, in fact Grunt was very much reminded of Liara's own armour as it appeared tight-fighting and very light despite being so carefully armoured. He also noticed a set of stars on her shoulder, had she been promoted already?

"I'd dismiss the guards but for security reasons they have to stay," she said apologetically.

"It's okay," Grunt said, "I'm just glad I got a chance to see you before you went on duty."

"Yeah, the meeting doesn't start for another ten minutes," she replied. "So I have about five before I have to move out."

"I'll be sure to make them count," he smirked. "So how are things? It looks like they promoted you."

"For now they've put me in charge of security, all of it," she answered. "C-Sec, Alliance forces, outside asari, salarian and even turian forces are under my command. I've got to keep them all in order and keep this place running until the meetings over. But... to be honest... these stars don't represent any head of security that I know."

"You think they're setting you up for another job?" he asked.

"I do," she said, "I think this is a test. They want to make sure I'm still fit to give orders and keep order."

"But what can you do?" he asked. "You stopped Saren and Sovereign, defeated Cerberus, destroyed the Reapers... what's left?"

She smiled at him, a devious little smile as she took a step forwards as to avoid the guard's gaze.

"The positioner of Human Councillor is still open," she reminded him.

"You really think they'd...?" he gasped.

"It was hinted at me by Sparatus," she replied. "He believes I would be a good candidate and suggested if it ever comes up I will be his first choice. So who knows? We'll see."

Shepard turned to Shay'kera, who had stood their silently the whole time and simply watched the exchange between the human and krogan. She had not often seen humans, nor knew much about them, but Shepard she knew. Of all the humans Shepard was the one Shay'kera felt any sort of feeling towards.

Shepard was everything a woman could hope to be; strong, compassionate, brave and loyal. Who wouldn't look up to her? And now Shay was standing no more than a few inches away, just within reach of her idol. Did Grunt know how much Shay admired her and brought her here for that purpose?

_No,_ she thought. _Don't be ridiculous. How could he possibly know? I only mentioned it once._

"One more thing, before we go," Grunt said. "I'd like you to meet Shay'kera."

She immediately snapped to attention, standing straight like a good soldier and even saluting. Shepard laughed and lowered the female krogan's arm, still smiling all the while. Shay wasn't sure how to respond, she had never expected Shepard to be so... so...

"She's a strange one, isn't she?" Grunt teased.

"Watch it, boy," Shepard grinned. "Or I'll have to ground you. I'll even take away your Captain Cosmic Action Figure 'Garr the Krogan Battlemaster'!"

"Wha... how did you..."

"I found a few interesting things in the Shadow Broker lair, boy," she threated. "Things I'm not afraid to use against you."

He wasn't the kind to take threats likely, especially ones from Shepard. He decided to be wary. Shepard saw she had won and now focused her attention on Shay'kera, she smiled awkwardly at the Commander.

"I'm sorry I didn't have any more time to talk with you," she said. "But Grunt has all my contact details, if you ever want to talk about anything feel free to call me."

"O-oh, yes!" Shay stuttered. "Thank you... I-I will."

Grunt smiled, he had never seen Shay so flustered before. Shepard tapped her ear comm as an incoming transmission came through and nodded once.

"I've got to go," she said, "but if you're still around after all this we should have dinner."

"Yes!" Shay said quickly. "We'd love too!"

"We?" Shepard smirked.

Shay may have blushed, but it was hard to tell with krogan. The security team led Grunt and Shay'kera out, and Shepard waved them goodbye. Their weapons were returned, though they were warned to be safe, and they headed to the Presidium.

Shay was silent for a minute and Grunt wondered what could possibly be running through her head. He had brought Shay to meet Shepard, not only because he knew she greatly admired the human, but he also wanted Shepard to meet the female who had affected him greatly.

He wondered what she thought of Shay.

"Thanks," she said quietly. "Meeting Shepard... it means a lot."

"I thought it would," he said.

They stopped by a large, square window and they looked out at the beautiful stars in the distance and the shuttles. To the far right Grunt recognized Emily Wong as she gave a report on the Krogan's Return - as it had been called - and people passed on by. Life continued on as if the Reapers never existed.

"I... never knew my mother," Shay admitted. "She died shortly after I was born, defending our clan from Blood Pack. Lotta led our clan, hence our name, but she was never my mother. I looked up to her, but it was Shepard I truly admired. When I heard of what she had done... despite destroying that base on Virmire..."

"We wouldn't want a cure made by Saren," Grunt said. "It could have been filled with all sorts of toxins or whatever."

"No krogan would have accepted it either," she replied. "If they knew how it was made and by who, their children would have been tainted with the knowledge Saren made them by making others suffer."

Krogan would have accepted any cure, they were that desperate for it once, but to simply dismiss Shay's argument would be ignorant and prove that people truly underestimated the krogan. After these children would be born and they learnt who they owed their existence too, would they appreciate knowing a man like Saren was responsible?

Perhaps it was a good thing Shepard destroyed the base on Virmire. It was just another thing Grunt would have to thank her for.

...

The batarian bar tender had grown silent, now he stood with his back to Skoll and he cleaned the same old glass over and over again as the cogs in his head turned. Skoll could understand why he was annoyed, the batarians had been hit worse with an entire colony wiped out when Shepard tried to stop a Reaper Invasion that would have hit sooner if Shepard had not stopped Doctor Kenson.

Now most batarians were homeless and living on the Citadel, added to the fact few very species actually liked them and it was understandable the batarians felt like the world was against them. But that was no excuse to lie down and take it.

If they wanted to change they needed to take it, reach out into the darkness and find some source of hope and then rebuild their empire. The batarians could be great, as they had been, all it needed was the right amount of will and a few good leaders who could shoulder the burden and treat their kind well.

The krogans present in the bar had gathered around a terminal, keenly watching the report. No reporters were allowed inside, only until the announcement was made could the reporters do anything. For now they had to stand beyond the safe point and wait, just like everyone else.

Skoll should have been excited with this new incredible change, but he kept thinking back to Shay'kera and Königin. In the old days, when krogan could still breed freely, krogan had only one life mate. Generally most followed this tradition, many didn't, but Skoll did.

He had met Königin when he was two hundred, she had a different name then - but he couldn't remember what it is, she changed it so often before sticking to Königin. They met when they joined the same mercenary group. Many didn't know Königin was a female, like Shay she didn't cover her face or wear robes, and Skoll took advantage of it.

Being the only one who knew the truth he had more time with her, the other mercs thought he was gay, and he was happy to keep up the pretence until Königin told them, but by then it was too late. A century later they grew tired of being mercs and moved back to Tuchanka, forming their own clan under the name Hündin.

Skoll thought back to that day, standing on the dry and cracked ground with the sun high in the sky, he looked around and saw no one. No varren or krogan, it was nothing but the sun and death.

_"Why here?" he asked her. "Of all the places, Konigin, why this damned place?"_

_She pointed behind him and he saw a large jagged gap in the ground, almost like it was opening up to reveal so many secrets. He ducked down and entered the cool shade, as his eyes adjusted he made out symbols and carvings on the smooth walls, and he realized where they were._

_She joined him, going deeper inside._

_"Wait!" he called. "You'll get lost! No one knows how to navigate the old temples!"  
_

_"I grew up here, my love," she called back. "This was once where my clan resided, until they were destroyed in a foolish argument over land. I know this place well. And it has everything, with an underground stream of clean water and there are plenty of things to eat."_

_"Is this really what you want?" he asked her._

_She stopped, just before the precipice of darkness that seemed to swallow her up. She had such unusual eye colour, not red like his, but more of a strange eerie moss colour. In the dark they seemed to be two hovering orbs. She seemed to consider his question for a long, hard moment, and then she smiled._

_"Of course," she replied. "Most krogan don't care about our future, they think we'll just die out and fade from existence and everyone wll forget us. But I refuse to allow that to happen. I refuse to have my children - or anyone's - grow up to be mercs when they could be a politician or a teacher or an artist."_

_"And this is the start?" he asked her. "This one clan will help how?"_

_"We'll get like-minded krogan to join us," she explained. "Those who want their children to be greater than we ever were, and then they will raise their children to be greater than them! Great things have small beginnings, like a seed into a tree, but someone needs to plant that seed."_

_"It could just carry itself there on a breeze or on an animal," he retorted._

_"And then it would land anywhere," she replied. "In a pit or a canyon, somewhere dark or cold where it wouldn't survive for long. That's why it needs a guiding hand."_

_He took a step into the temple, glancing back once at the cruel light of the world, and he joined her in the darkness._

_"I'll help however I can," he promised. "No matter how small, your legacy shall live, I promise you."_

_"Then if we have a child..." she said, "if we are granted that much in this wretched world, please take care of it if I can't."_

_He frowned, "What does that mean?" he said. "You can't predict your demise so early in life."_

_"I am out of touch with my kind," she replied. "I think for a future others think will not come. I'm going to make enemies. That's why I chose my old clan. It's dark, and cold, but no one knows about it, and that should keep us safe for a time being."_

_"Okay," he sighed and took her hand. "I'll take care of your legacy..."_

_"Our legacy," she corrected with a smile._

Konigin died some centuries later during an attack on the clan by the Blood Pack. Skoll had been away when it happened, meeting with Urdnot Wrex who had some interesting ideas on the future but was yet unprepared to do anything about it. Skoll had promised to assist Wrex in anyway possible when the day would come when Wrex would be ready.

Skoll returned to find Lotta-Signorina had been put in charge of the clan in his absence, and his daughter, who had been born while he was away, had been put in Signorina's care. Skoll wanted to stay, to raise his daughter, but he also wanted revenge.

He made a mistake. Getting each of the men responsible for Konigin's death took years, and since krogan age fast he had missed out on so much more than any father should. She was a woman, practically, what would happen if he just barged in and announced who he was?

He wasn't ready, neither was she, but maybe now...

The krogan cheered suddenly, the batarian jumped in shock and turned to find the group jumping up and down and even giving one another a high-five. One ordered a free round for everyone in the bar, even the salarian's. He had never seen krogan act so... pleased. Thinking on it, he had never seen a happy krogan.

He looked at the terminal, barely making out the words _'KROGAN REJOIN LIST OF CITADEL RACES'_. He snorted, so arguing really worked, huh?

"I guess you were right, old man," he said. "If you want something you have to stand up and fight for it."

He turned to where the old krogan sat, and found the seat empty. He had just missed the announcement all krogan had been waiting for, what could be so important he purposefully missed it?

...

Grunt watched Emily Wong as she hurriedly reported the news, a happy crowd of krogan just noticeably behind her as they chanted_ 'A future finally'_ over and over. She went around, asking random civilians what they thought. Shay seemed unconcerned with them, though he did see a faint smile on her face.

"I assume it's good news?" she joked.

"I can only imagine what Tuchanka must be like," he said. "Wrex promised them a national holiday if we succeeded, but it may go on longer... we may not look like it but we krogan can dance as well as we can drink."

"You'll have to show me sometime," she smiled.

She smiled, but she sounded dead serious. She turned to him and he actually felt quite nervous. She took a step towards him, leaning forwards on her tip-toes just to look him in the eye.

"The Citadel has a bar called Purgatory, right?" she said.

"Yeah..." he replied, knowing where this is going.

"So take me there and show me these dance moves," she said.

He grimaced, fearful of denying her such a simple thing, but he had never danced once in his life and Okeer had never programmed him to learn. She saw his reluctance and took his hand, leading him away and towards the nearest elevator.

"If it helps I'll show you my moves first," she assured him.

Krogan can't purr seductively like humans or asari, but when they felt aroused or were attracted to someone the tone of their eyes darken or lighten, most of the time they weren't aware of the change and had no control over it, when it came to hiding arousal krogan struggled greatly.

And at that moment Grunt's eyes were bluer than an even the brightest asari's hide.

He said nothing, just nodded dumbly.

As they approached the elevator the doors opened and they found Skoll. He seemed surprised to have found them so quickly, yet he was pleased. He noticed Shay's fingers entangled around Grunt, but said nothing.

"Skoll!" Shay smiled. "Did you hear the good news?"

He looked at her, as if hesitating to answer. "Yes, I actually came to ask you if you had heard," he quickly lied. "It's good news, isn't it? Wrex has finally achieved what he so long hoped for."

"I didn't know his ambitions were so old," Grunt said.

"He, like most, wanted change for many years," Skoll answered. "But what can a krogan do when his whole species accepts its fate? Shepard helped - something about her changed Wrex, it made him ready for this responsibility."

"... Was there something else?" Shay asked. "You look like you want to say something important?"

"It's... nothing," Skoll replied. "Go celebrate and have fun. I'm returning to Tuchanka."

He stepped out of the elevator, allowing them to step inside.

"I know someone who will want to hear the news," he added. "She'll be glad we've finally changed our ways."

"She'll appreciate being told," Shay told him. "Especially if it comes from you."

The elevator doors closed, Shay smiled at him and like that she was gone. He was eerily reminded of the last time he saw Konigin, but he decided not to dwell on the past any longer than he had. He needed to return to Tuchanka and tell her the good news.

She may not have been involved as much as she would have been, but Konigin left behind a little girl, and now she was doing her part to keep Tuchanka safe. If the Void was a kind place, Skoll just hoped Konigin could see Shay'kera and all that she had done.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Sorry about the delay, but I was so busy writing up the plots of future chapter's that I forgot I hadn't submitted anything yet! Sorry!_

_I also want to hold a little competition. I have enough ideas for at least eight more chapters, I'll eventually get more ideas but I don't want to hit a delay after my eight are done, so I was wondering if anyone is interested in entering a contest - whoever comes up with the best idea will get it turned into a chapter._

_If anyone **is** interested I'll put the information in the next chapter, but I'm going to need more than two people if I am to hold any kind of contest._


	12. The Prodigal Son

**Chapter Twelve: The Prodigal Son**

_Somewhere on Tuchanka_

A Council of Elders sat and watched the news that had begun to spread across the galaxy, they watched it with a certain sense of joy that krogan of an older generation knew to conceal. And they _were_ old krogan, as ancient as Okeer once was, and with the same sense of bitterness a krogan who had lived through the Rebellions and Genophage would know of.

They did not feel bitter that day, only joy as the moment they had been waiting for had arrived. The krogan were one with the Citadel Council once more, they were back on track, and soon the Elders of a forgotten time could re-join society.

They sat in a small dark room and knelt in a circle. Facing the terminals they planned their next move.

"It will be time to join the Union."

"Will they be so willing to accept us? We have been gone for so long they no longer think we exist."

"Rumours still surface occasionally... that should be enough."

"And you forget, we have the Golden Child, the Union would be fools not to bring us back when we have such power."

"Then it's decided. Once the Union leaders return we shall go to them, and we shall liberate them."

...

Days passed and the leaders returned with Skoll, Grunt and Skay'kera in toll. During the four days they had been gone the remaining leaders had declared a national holiday, where krogan everywhere could celebrate this moment in history, as long as they were prepared to clean up afterwards.

In his office Wrex was clearly showing signs of age, the stress of his work over the past eight months had aged him more than combat ever could. But that was politics; it took no prisoners and accepted no weakness in any shape or form.

"The leaders who were away are given a day's leave to rest," he said. "I wanted time with Mordin... but chances are I'm going to fall asleep as soon as I get in."

"Just rest," Shay said. "You'll need it for whatever comes next."

"You're right," he yawned. "Come on, I'll walk out with you."

He got up from behind his desk, looking so pleased to finally rest, when his office door opened and a cheerful salarian entered the room. He had rather pale skin, almost vanilla, with a series of red markings on his forehead and horns that looked almost like birth marks. Neither Grunt nor Shay'kera recognized him, though he appeared confident around them, something most salarians didn't do when around strangers.

"Oh, right, you don't know him," Wrex said. "This is Krill Vizok. He's my information broker. And Wrog's partner, so you'll probably be seeing more of him."

"Nice to meet you," Shay said politely.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt," Krill replied. "But there's something you'll want to see."

"Can't you leave it to someone else?" Wrex asked.

"I could, but if you missed it you'd hate me," Krill retorted.

Wrex's curiosity got the better of him and the group of krogan followed him down to one of the lower chambers, where holding cells had been constructed for krogan with unknown intentions. And the krogan who sat contently on the cell's floor was one of those unknowns.

He was slim, by krogan standards, and dressed in strange ceremonial robes with a veil over his face, on his back was a large canister made of deep, dark wood and he arrived on foot. None of them recognized the clan pattern on his robes, except for Skoll.

"Any idea where he came from?" Wrex asked Krill.

"He hasn't said anything since being brought here," Krill replied. "He simply approached the Senate, demanded to be seen by any Union leader, and then kept his mouth shut."

"I think I know who he is," Skoll said. "But I can't be sure... it may sound foolish if I say."

"Just say it," Grunt said.

Skoll glanced at the silent krogan in the cell, and was certain he knew which clan was responsible for this strange messenger.

"Clan Hellige," he told them.

"Hellige?" Wrex snorted. "Aren't they extinct?"

"No one ever said they were extinct, they just dissapeared after the Genophage," Skoll corrected. "With all that's happened, would it be a surprise if they came back to join the Union?"

Wrex considered it, and then approached the cell. The stranger hadn't stirred, it was hard to tell whether he was looking up at Wrex or was asleep, that veil made it damn near impossible to tell what the krogan was possibly thinking.

"Are you from Clan Hellige?" he demanded. "Tell me now, boy, I'm tired and in no mood to play. Either tell me the truth or risk getting thrown out of here."

The stranger said nothing; he merely grabbed the canister on his back and handed it to Wrex. He frowned at the gesture, but took the thing regardless.

"What is this?" he asked.

"A message from the Elders of Clan Hellige, to be read only by a Union Leader and no one else," the messenger replied. "I am to return with your prompt response."

"What does it concern?" Wrex asked.

"I do not know," he said. "I am not allowed to read it. I am only to give a yes or no answer once you have decided."

"Alright then..." Wrex said uncertainly.

He stepped away from the cell and opened the canister. A darkened scroll fell out and landed on the floor at his feet. Grunt stared at it, never before having seen anything written on something so primitive. They even had the messenger walk, how many miles had it taken him to reach them?

Wrex took it and unfolded it. He quickly read it much to the anticipation of the group before him. After he had finished reading it he folded it back up and placed it back in the canister. He passed to the messenger, who sat quietly for his response.

"Tell your Elders that if they want an answer they have to come here," Wrex told him. "I'm not going to give an answer until I meet them."

"But they must have written how they feel-"

"They did," Wrex said. "But that doesn't mean anything. I want to meet your Elders, or no deal."

"Very well," the messenger said. "Release me and I shall return to tell them."

Krill left and returned some moments later with a few guards, who released the messenger and escorted him out of the building and to the end of Urdnot City. Wrex sat down in the corner, rubbing his face tiredly.

"Go home and rest," Shay said. "Krill will inform the Senators what has happened. You need your rest so you're prepared for when - and _if_ - this messenger returns."

"You're right..." he nodded and stood. "Skoll should know more of Clan Hellige, ask him about anything you may be concerned about."

Krill walked out with him, and Grunt wondered how well Wrex was actually coping with everything. Rebuilding Tuchanka was easy, now they were part of the Citadel Council again they would be expected to trade more, offer support to other species, and maybe even do some things they weren't comfortable with.

Politics was not an easy game, if Wrex was secretly struggling who was he going to confide into? Certainly not him or even Bakara, but maybe - given time - he would open up to Shepard. Krogan weren't known for being particularly emotional beings, but there was something about Shepard that made Wrex seem... happy, almost.

"So what do you know about Clan Hellige?" Shay'kera asked Skoll.

"Not much," he answered. "They dissapeared some two hundred years before I was born, but I heard stories from my mother. They were considered religious fanatics, praising something called the _'Golden Child'_, and when the Genophage was released they saw it as a sign that the Golden Child would be born sometime in the future to 'liberate' our race. They vanished shortly after, to wait for this child, I suppose."

"It seems waiting a thousand years left them in a Stone Age," Grunt commented. "The guy had paper, I've never seen anyone use it, and there's the fact it looked like he walked here..."

"Our people were scattered for so long it's likely no one cared about any hidden clan's," Skoll observed. "If they stayed as well hidden as Clan Lotta-Signorina - and used nothing but the primitive basics - then no one would have found them."

"So why would they return after so long?" Shay asked. "Surely they couldn't have found this Golden Child..."

"It's more likely they heard of our return to Citadel status and want to re-join the Union," Skoll replied. "They wouldn't be the first. Dozens of clan's, even the hidden and the recently unknown, have been flocking in since our return."

"It's best not to worry ourselves over it until we know all the facts," Shay added. "Now... I'm going home. I'll see you later."

"I should be going too," Skoll said. "I just realized I left Hati alone while I was gone and it's likely he's eaten something... or someone."

Grunt watched them go and decided to stay a little longer, just to consider what was next for his people. The Reapers had changed so much, the Councillors were forced into creating a law that allowed any Citadel race to call upon their allies in times of crisis or disaster, and unlike before, no excuse could be given.

It would have been thought such a rule went without saying, but when the Reapers hit everyone ran home and tried to help themselves. Shepard proved strength lay in working together, not falling apart at the seams, and the Councillors had finally learnt to listen to her.

Things were changing fast, how would a clan accustomed to paper letters adapt to such a new and strange world?

...

A few days passed with no word from Clan Hellige, Wrex began to wonder if his response had upset the Elders, but after another few days passed the messenger returned with a group of krogan. All wore robes similar to the messenger, except the colours were far brighter.

Amongst their rank was a krogan who wore silver and gold robes and he walked in the centre of the group, as if to protect him from all those who stood too close. Wrex and the other leaders stood outside the Senate and expected the group as they approached, by the way they walked they were as old as Skoll had said.

"Welcome, Clan Hellige," greeted Raik Ira. "We hope your journey was a pleasant one."

"It was a long walk," an Elder replied, "but aren't all journey's long?"

Ira pulled a face, "I see... if you would come with us, we shall discuss your joining the Union."

"That will not be necessary," one said. "Once you see what we have, you will accept us quickly."

"It's not that easy," Weyrloc J'on told them. "Each clan has to contribute, you can't just expect us to accept you without seeing what you have to offer."

A crowd began to gather, the everyday workers who had been drawn to the strangers in robes. Clans have been coming back and forth in recent months, but now it was happening less and less, and none of them had looked anything like the members of Clan Hellige.

Hidden amongst the crowd was Krill and Wróg, and soon to join them was Adria and Durak who hovered at the back of the crowd.

"It seems the messenger came back..." Wróg said. "They didn't seriously walk, did they?"

"Probably," Krill replied. "It would explain how it took so long for them to get here, but I wonder... who is that guy in silver and gold?"

"The clan leader?" Wróg suggested.

"Wouldn't they leave him behind to take care of the clan?" Krill said.

"I suppose..." Wróg said. "So is he then?"

Krill shrugged and looked a little disappointed, "I thought it was our job to know all the secrets," he mumbled.

"We're just a little rusty," Wróg replied. "It has been awhile since we did any jobs for the Shadow Broker."

"Should you really mention _that_ name in public?" Krill asked him.

"Not really," Wróg smirked. "But we'd know if there was anyone peeping in on our conversation, right?"

Krill smiled back at him, and focused his attention back on the mysterious krogan in gold. Krill had learnt long ago to listen and speak at the same time, so though he had been speaking with Wróg he had also been listening to the conversation between the Elders of Hellige and the Senators.

So far it had been very interesting.

"The Golden Child exists?" Ira said doubtfully. "Please, it was a story you made up to give people hope."

"Was it now?" one said. "Then how do you explain Isandro?"

At the mention of his name the krogan in gold and silver took a step forwards, approaching the Senators and pulling down his hood. Gasps spread across the crowd and some of the Senators paled at the sight of the golden-crested krogan with the strangest copper-coloured eyes.

"No... way," Wróg gasped. "The... Golden Child is real?"

Krill frowned as the Golden Child fidgeted uncomfortably beneath everyone's hard gaze, and he turned to his Elders, as if to ask for help. One of the Elders took a step forward and reassuringly patted Isandro's shoulder. It seemed to calm him, but he still seemed on edge.

"What we offer is Isandro," they said. "As promised, he will liberate our people and lead us into a brighter future."

"Your nine months too late," J'on remarked. "I don't know if you noticed but we've been doing pretty well despite not having your golden boy over there."

"You underestimate his power," they said.

"And you underestimate _our_ power," Wrex said. "You can join the Union, but you have to contribute more than just your one krogan. Everyone has to give something to this cause if this Union is going to work."

The Elders said nothing, though it seemed a silent word had passed between them, and they accepted Wrex's offer. The Senators led the Elders inside and Isandro loyally followed, soon out of sight the crowd had nothing to watch and so returned to work or went home.

Krill and Wróg stayed while Durak and Adria left, it seemed the young krogan had not noticed the two information broker's in the crowd.

"I wonder what they're up too," Krill said somewhat sarcastically.

"How long have they...?"

"I think it was some time after Adria returned from Illium," Krill answered. "She needed someone to talk too, and while Shay is a good listener..."

"There's nothing like the company of a man?" Wróg finished with a smirk.

"Well, I wasn't going to say that exactly..." Krill chuckled. "Come on. Let's go tell your friends about this little development."

Wróg watched him walk on ahead and frowned to himself.

"I have friends?"

...

Sometime later Grunt's front room was filled with krogan and one salarian, and though his apartment was big, it couldn't quite take six other krogan. Steel and Giger took up most of the sofa, leaving Adria and Durak to seek comfort on the floor, while Krill sat between Wróg's legs and Shay stood by the window. Skoll had actually offered to help Grunt serve the drinks.

"I shouldn't have offered any," he grumbled. "I don't even know how to make tea!"

"It's not that hard," Skoll said.

"I never expected someone like you to know how to make tea."

"Really? Why?"

"You don't seem like the type to enjoy something so... simple."

"To be honest, my recipe for tea mostly consists of ryncol."

Grunt smirked, "Of course it does..."

They piled the large cups onto a tray and carried it into the front room and set it on the table. Skoll searched for a place to sit, and like Grunt, decided to stand. Krill observed the large cup and summoned the smallest amount of biotic power to lift it.

"So tell me again," Steel said. "What is this meeting about?"

"Clan Hellige arrived with what they said is the Golden Child," Krill answered. "The Senators are... sceptical at best. They don't accept him as a liberator, even though the Hellige Elders are insistent on the matter."

"The Golden Child is a myth created by Hellige," Shay added. "This krogan they brought along is probably just any other krogan with unusual colouring."

"She has a point," Giger said and pointed at Steel and Grunt. "If there are silver crests, why not gold?"

"But copper eyes?" Durak asked. "I've never seen that before."

"And I had never seen blue eyes until I met the Okeer Trio," Skoll said.

"Okeer Trio?" Grunt repeated.

"You _are_ a creation of Okeer, like Steel and Giger," Skoll replied. "It seems appropriate to give you some sort of name."

Steel hummed thoughtfully and stood.

"Where are you going?" Giger asked.

"I need to check something," Steel replied. "And I'll need to borrow Krill, if that's okay with you, Wróg."

Wróg looked a little surprised, "Uh... sure," he said.

"Keep an eye on this 'Golden Child' until we return," Steel ordered.

Steel finished his tea and quickly left, Krill quickly following him. Giger sighed, he was used to Steel running off whenever he had a thought, but sometimes he just wished his brother would tell him where he was going.

"To get back to the topic," Adria said, "I think Steel's right. We need to watch Clan Hellige. They brought Isandro here to 'liberate' us, but we've come so far, what could we possibly do next?"

...

"Don't be ridiculous!"

In the chamber the Senators had all come together to hear the Elders out, and so far it had not been good. Isandro had stood to the one side, silent throughout, and watched with almost sadness as his Elders and Tuchanka's leaders argued.

Up in the ceiling, where a small space had been constructed above the rafters and tiles, Krill observed the whole thing through a gap. Wrex was aware of this small space, and in fact he had requested it's construction, as all kinds of surveillance was banned it was sometimes necessary for an information broker to record the arrival of anyone who could pose a threat, just like Clan Hellige.

"You want us to go to war?" Ira cried. "Are you all fools? Can you not see what we have made of ourselves? You would want to see this destroyed?"

"To go to war would mean sacrificing everything for nothing!" Ravanor Beral added. "We have a future and you would want to throw it away? Why?"

"Don't you understand what we have brought you?" the Elders said. "We have the key to our salvation in Isandro!"

"What salvation?" J'on said, exasperated. "Can you not see what has been happening? In nine months we have rebuild Tuchanka, formed a Union, given our people jobs and re-joined the Citadel! Why would you want to destroy all that we have worked for?"

"We will always be under the heel of others if we do not cement our place at the top," the Elders responded. "We are not going to be lead, we are going to rule!"

"You're insane," Wrex growled. "You've spent so many years in some dark hole that you've forgotten what it means to be krogan! Before we were mercenaries we were true warriors, we worked and lived together, and you want to tear our people apart through a war that will do nothing but confirm what so many think of us? We are not savages!"

"Does your clan leader agree with you?" Ira asked. "Does he or she want to go to war?"

"We have no clan leader," they said. "Or females or children or warriors. It is just us, and Isandro."

"Then where did your messenger come from?" Beral asked. "He is much younger than you all, where did he come from?"

The Elders didn't respond.

"You... can't be serious," Beral shook her head. "You have spent nearly a thousand years doing nothing but waiting for some child?"

"That's correct," they said. "He appeared, one day, outside our home. He had no parents and was all alone. It was a sign."

Wrex frowned and his fellow Senators shared a glance. He spotted J'on and Ira whispering, and could just about make out what they were saying. Wrex stood and called in his guards, who quickly surrounded the Elders of Hellige and Isandro, who appeared panicked.

"We're going to put you into our care," Wrex announced. "You're still krogan and every krogan has a right to join the Union, but your talk of war will upset many people and until we sort this situation we cannot allow you to spread such filth."

"And what of Isandro?" they asked. "Will you lock him up too?"

"He will be put into observation," Ira replied. "First I'll like to talk to him. He hasn't said one word and I want to know what he thinks, without you looking over his shoulder!"

The guards obeyed and carried the Elders away, while Ira got up from her seat and she and J'on took Isandro out of the chamber and into another room. Wrex sighed and fell into his seat.

"I've been expecting something like this, I just didn't think..." he sighed.

"There will always be fools who think war is the answer," Beral told him. "We are living in peace and yet they crave for a war that will destroy us."

"I can't understand," Khel Paké said. "They think one krogan could lead us to war? How much do they think one krogan can change?"

"You forget how much power an individual can wield," Wrex told him. "One woman destroyed the Reapers."

...

Krill was getting uncomfortable, the space Wrex had constructed was just a little too small for him, and he decided it was probably best to move out before his body cramped and he got stuck. Krill turned and began to crawl away. He tapped and activated his comm.

"I'm bugging out, Steel," he said. "I've got enough info. Have you found anything yet?"

"Not yet," Steel replied. "But there are a lot of firewalls and locks I have to break through, just give me a few more minutes."

"Okay, I'll meet you at the drop-point," Krill said.

He squeezed through the tunnel and ended up on the roof, he closed the secret hatch and jumped over to the next roof and made his way across Urdnot City. He stopped atop Café Normandy and took a moment to rest. It had gotten dark and cold so quickly, he had not realized he had been in there so long.

"They're insane," he shivered. "Living in a hole for so long has turned them totally bonkers!"

A shadow passed over ahead and a krogan landed behind him. Relief warmed him as he turned to who he thought was Steel, but then he saw the golden crested krogan and he froze as his blood turned cold.

"You..." he gasped. "How did you?"

Isandro stood there sheepishly, clutching a sword in each hand. Clan Hellige were truly old fashioned if they thought giving Isandro a pair of swords was enough in a society fuelled by guns and thermal clips. If they were like Captain Ryöstää's bioticly-fueled sword then maybe he could stand a chance, but there was nothing special about Isandro's blades.

"You were eavesdropping," Isandro replied. "I heard you up there... and I have orders to eliminate anyone who are aware of my Elder's plans."

"So you'll kill the Senators too if they don't agree?" Krill asked.

"If that's what my Elders want..." Isandro answered.

"Then I'll have to stop you," Krill said.

He clenched his fists and there was a bright flare of power as the blue whispery threads of his biotic energy pulsed and moved like mist. Isandro looked on in awe and smiled. He had never seen a biotic before, it was such a pretty sight. He felt bad about having to snuff out such a light.

Krill brought back his arm and fired, Isandro moved - quick as lightning - and dodged the attack. Krill gasped, he had never seen anyone move so fast, it was just like a flash of golden light. He shook his head, he had to stay focused if he wanted to survive, and he fired again.

Isandro easily dived beneath the ball of light and came at Krill, moving so fast it made Krill's head hurt just trying to keep track. He had only chance if he was going to get away and regroup with Steel. He prepared one hand for a biotic strike and reached for his gun.

Isandro reared his sword and Krill fired. Blood hit the cold roof and the clouds passed overhead, the victor stood bathed in blood and the loser fell into a warm pool of red as darkness fell over him.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Sorry this was late, I was sick last week and so only managed to do half when the cold struck. Another side note, I'm actually altering Steel and Giger's age as in my original fanfiction 'The Skull Crew' Steel is actually 31, Giger is 29 and Ryo is 26, so don't worry if you notice that mild alteration._


	13. War Bound

**Chapter Thirteen: War Bound**

_Today is a good day to die._

Krill thought this as Isandro's blade tore him; he felt it inside of him, like a cold snake beneath his flesh that ate away inside of him. He felt his hand tremble and he dropped his gun. He reached for the blade and Isandro pulled it free from the wound, and Krill collapsed to the ground.

_Today is a very good day to die._

Krill had always thought he was going to be murdered, maybe it was because he had made a lot of enemies in his line of work or because he knew something's many people would want to stay hidden. It didn't matter what the reason was, it seemed he was right.

But to him, today was a good day to die. He had not seen Wróg in such a long time, he had been away on Sur'kesh seeing to some family issue while Wróg was on an assignment on Omega and it had been a month since they had even talked, and the last time they did talk it had turned into an argument.

He has glad that he had time with Wróg, to apologize for the argument, and actually live like a normal person. He sometimes regretted taking this job as an information broker, knowing everyone's dirty secrets, knowing all the sordid details. But Wróg made it bearable.

"I am sorry," Isandro apologized. "But that's what my Elders wanted."

"Oh, you're... a good little... robot," Krill said. "Did they... tell you that one day... you could be a real boy?"

Isandro frowned, "What do you mean?"

Krill just smiled, "Silly... puppet. Wait until... you see a... _real_ krogan."

Isandro didn't question the bleeding salarian, for he felt a looming shadow of death fall over him. He jumped and avoided Steel as the silver-crested krogan delivered a punch that opened a hole in the roof. Isandro shifted his stance and prepared for another strike. Steel stood over Krill, glancing down at him.

"I called Aralakh Company," he said, "they should be here soon with Adria to patch you up."

"Let's hope... I last till then," Krill groaned.

He turned onto his side and looked up at the Golden Child. Would Steel fare any better than he did? Krill's biotic skills weren't enough to push Isandro back or even slow him down. He was so fast, how would Steel cope? Steel charged, surprising Isandro, and delivered a hard kick.

Isandro ducked and swiped at him, Steel grabbed the blade and kicked Isandro away, taking the blade from him. Steel juggled the blade from hand to hand, testing its weight, and its feel. It was heavier than the blade's he practised with, the blade was weaker too, but it would do.

He went for Isandro again and swung in a wide arc, Isandro stumbled back and Steel managed to land a punch. Krill watched in amazement and he realized what he had been doing wrong. Isandro had been taught to strike first, to quickly take out a target at close range, and Steel made the first move, getting into Isandro's comfort zone.

Isandro swiped at Steel, who ducked and returned with a powerful blow. He twisted on his heels, shifting his stance, and rammed the blade into a gap in Isandro's armour. Isandro gasped and Steel twisted, a sharp pain running up Isandro's side.

"You're not bad," Steel said. "But my captain's better."

"But... I've been training since I was child..." Isandro protested weakly.

"Training?" Steel snorted. "That means nothing to someone who has spent years actually fighting!"

Isandro growled and aimed a punch, Steel jumped back and Isandro charged, aiming wild and sharp jabs. Steel avoided each blow, but he felt he was being pushed back. Isandro was strong, and fast, as fast as any Okeer test subject...

Steel roared and rammed the blade into a special spot on Isandro's frontal plate. Isandro froze and fell to his knees, dropping his sword. Steel saw the fear in his eyes, and he smiled. Only a few knew about that one spot on a krogan's head, if a knife is placed correctly on the frontal plate the plate can be ripped off, and all krogan knew to fear that.

Krill watched at how quickly the tide of the battle had turned and his vision darkened, he tried to hold on, and just managed to stay on long enough for Aralakh Company to arrive. Adria and Wróg went to Krill and she saw to his wounds. Wróg called his name and gently tapped his cheek.

"Now, what do you have planned?" Steel demanded. "How did you get away from the Senators?"

Isandro pouted stubbornly. Steel applied pressure to the plate and Isandro - and even Grunt - winced. Giger watched his brother carefully, wondering how far he would go to get his answers. Steel wasn't a generally violent person, but he did have a darker side.

"Answer me!"

"I... I hit the Senators," Isandro answered. "When they took me into the room... I knocked them out and ran, and went after the salarian."

Steel glanced at Krill, Adria seemed to have stopped the bleeding and stabilised him, but he needed to go to a hospital. Wróg gently picked him up and he and Adria headed to the hospital, leaving the rest of the company to see to the Golden Child.

"Your Elders want to start a war," Steel said. "Do you realize how foolish that is? You could get innocent people killed for no reason!"

"I am the liberator," Isandro argued. "I'm here to save you."

"From what?" Steel cried.

"I..." Isandro struggled and sighed. "I don't know."

Steel took Isandro's discarded blade and then gently removed the sword he had stuck into Isandro's plate. Isandro stumbled back and felt his crests, searching for any kind of damage. A moment later Skoll and Shay grabbed him, twisting his arms behind his back.

"Put him in a cell," Grunt ordered. "Shay and Skoll, I want you to stay there and don't leave him alone. Durak, go find Aeacus and get him to the hospital to guard Krill - Wróg and Adria won't be in the right frame of mind to watch him. Giger, Steel, we're going to tell Wrex what happened."

Each of his operatives obeyed and soon it was just the Okeer Trio left on the roof. Steel examined the blades and snapped the one marked with Krill's blood, he decided to keep the other as a souvenir. It would look nice on Ryö's wall.

"You could have killed him..." Grunt said. "We don't want Isandro dead, not yet."

"Removing the plate wouldn't have killed him," Steel answered. "It would have hurt like hell, but he would have lived, though his pride would have been damaged."

They decided to walk and talk, as there was very little time to waste, and so with haste they decided to ask as many questions as they could before they faced Wrex and the rest of Tuchanka's leaders.

"There was more to it..." Giger argued. "What did you find out? What is it about him that set you off?"

"The thing I researched... it was Okeer's files," Steel answered.

"What?" Giger gasped. "You promised me you wouldn't decipher them without me!"

"I only searched for something that could relate to the Golden Child," Steel protested.

"And?" Grunt asked. "What did you find?"

"Nothing on a Golden Child," Steel answered. "But I did find this vid, some personal blog he made to keep track of his work."

Steel brought up his Omni-tool and a vid appeared. It was Okeer sat facing the terminal, but his attention was focused on something on his desk. By the way Steel said it, it seemed Okeer did these blogs often, but it looked more like it was done out of habit to keep track of work rather than something to reflect on.

_"Clan Hellige took Test Subject Number 287. He was a failure so it was no real loss. However, they requested I add some colouring to his crests - gold, actually. I can only imagine what they have planned, but it probably doesn't concern me..."_

"He's _another_ Okeer test subject?" Giger groaned. "How many of us are there?"

"Okeer made a lot of test subjects," Steel replied. "But don't worry - Isandro doesn't share our thread of DNA. We were created before so it's unlikely he reused it. You know he wasn't the type to recycle useless elements."

"How many subjects are there?" Grunt asked.

"Well, I've managed to uncover 289 of Okeer's 317 test subjects," Steel answered. I'm subject 267 while Giger is 268 and you, Grunt, are the last at 317. Only two krogan share your DNA, though it is a tiny fraction."

"And I'm guessing those krogan are you?" Grunt said.

"Yes, but you share more in common with me," Steel replied. "Don't ask why, but we're just... similar in some ways that can't be explained by science."

"What happened to the rest of the subjects?" Grunt asked.

"Well, 28 of them are unaccounted for," Steel replied. "I'm struggling to find them, while numbers 1 to 234 are dead. The 55 still alive live normal lives, though they lack krogan longevity, so some are old now, but other than that they're all living well."

"One big extended family," Giger added.

Grunt had one more question, one that had bothered him ever since he had discovered he had brothers. If they were aware of his existence, why didn't they come to see him? He could understand with so many Okeer subjects alive it would have taken so much time to speak to them all, but Grunt was different, he was made to perfect.

Surely they would have come to see him just to satisfy their curiosity.

He didn't get to ask his question, as they had arrived at the Senate and found Raik Ira standing outside waiting for them. And she looked pissed. Her face was bruised, but it was nothing a warrior as old and experience as she could not handle. She looked more annoyed at the fact she had been caught by surprise, more than actually being struck.

Grunt could relate. She was the leader of Raik. The place that spawned the name of his company, to be hit by such a whelp must have been a harsh insult.

"Glad you finally arrived," she said. "We've got a situation."

"What's happened?" Grunt asked.

"I'll explain as we walk," she said.

She walked inside and they quickly followed. As they were led through the clean and white corridors the trio noticed more guards had filled the corridors, had Isandro's escape really scared them that much? Or was there more to it?

"Isandro arrived moments earlier and was placed in a cell," she explained. "He's keeping quiet, whatever you said shook him, but I think the Elders have realized what's happened. They demand to be let out."

She took them to the holding cells where the Elders sat impatiently. Wrex was with Shay and Skoll, while J'on and Beral could be seen hovering in the background. Beral must have heard about Krill and knew her daughter was with him, she had been worrying more about Adria ever since the incident on Illium.

"Okay, you smug bastards," Shay growled. "What are you planning?"

"Come down, Shay," Wrex ordered. "We'll handle this."

"Yes, go stand guard," Ira added. "I don't trust Isandro being their only weapon."

They hesitantly obeyed and left the leaders to interrogate the prisoners.

"Now... what are you planning?" Wrex demanded. "You tried to kill our informant because he overheard your plan, which means you're probably planning on killing us too if we don't agree to your idiot plan. What's your Plan B?"

"Plan B is exactly what you said," they replied. "We are going to kill you and then take over. It's as simple as that."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Beral asked. "If you haven't noticed, you and Isandro are captured. There is no one to help you."

Ira frowned as she considered the whole situation. Something seemed off, and she couldn't quite figure out what it was. Something that was mentioned earlier kept coming back, hovering at the front of her mind, teasing her with its words and trying to help her connect the dots.

_"We have no clan leader. Or females or children or warriors. It is just us, and Isandro."_

_"Then where did your messenger come from? He is much younger than you all, where did he come from?"_

Realization sank in coldly, "The messenger!" she gasped. "You _do_ have allied forces! Where are they now?"

"Right outside your door."

...

"I wanted to stay and see what they were going to say," Steel grumbled. "What could they be planning?"

They headed for the exit and the guards seemed to be in a hurry. Grunt watched them buzz around like busy bee's trying to protect the hive and its golden content. Giger noticed them too, but he didn't really think much of it - not at the moment, anyway.

"What could a bunch of old guys do?" Shay retorted. "They didn't bring any forces but Isandro, so what-"

A guard roared ahead and the Senate's door's exploded. Grunt dived on Shay'kera, protecting her from the debris that split through the air like deadly shrapnel. Guards hit the ground; limbs flew through the air, Aralakh Company dived for cover and from the thick ash and debris appeared a small army.

"Damn it," Steel swore. "From bad to worse."

Grunt checked Shay quickly, saw she was fine and released her. He went to check a guard nearby; he was unconscious so he wouldn't really need his weapon. More guards began to fill the corridor and the terrorists began to fire their weapons.

Shay released a biotic shield and caught several of the armoured attacks, lifting them up into the air and throwing them into the ground. Steel and Giger charged, tackling some of them to the ground and stealing their weapons, firing at whoever approached.

Grunt ran to the injured and helped the medics take them away into one of the rooms, a terrorist came for them and he created a biotic field over the medics and their charge. The attacker fired and the shot bounced off Grunt's concealed biotic form. He grabbed the krogan and smashed his head into him, knocking him to the ground.

"Stay in here," Grunt ordered. "I can keep the shield up, but I'd barricade the doors just in case I'm killed and you lose your protection."

"Yes, sir," one saluted and quickly began building up a wall of furniture.

Grunt turned to the battlefield, watching as Shay and other biotics tore through the ranks and Giger and Steel helped the guards cut through the soldiers. They were winning; they had to keep this up if -

Grunt caught sight of something gold streaking through the crowd and his heart sank. Isandro had gotten out? How? It must have been during the attack, allied forces must have released him and now he had come to the battlefield to turn the tide and make this far more difficult than it had to be.

Grunt aimed his shot gun at the golden krogan, trigger finger ready as he lined his shot. Isandro picked up two knives from one of his dead comrades and charged...

Into his own men.

He dived into the crowd of black armour and stabbed at them, cutting throats and chopping limbs, making a bloody mess of the krogan he called allies. They seemed startled and were unsure how to react to this sudden change. One shook off his confusion as rage took him and he aimed at Isandro, a loud shot rang out and the soldier's head exploded.

Isandro turned to Grunt, and offered him a sheepish smile before returning to the fray. Grunt didn't try to understand why Isandro had turned, it could have been a ploy, but for now the gold krogan was helping, and he wasn't too keen on turning down help at this point.

...

_The Shepard Memorial Hospital_

From beside Krill's hospital bed Wróg and Adria watched the terminal in quiet horror. Outside the room Durak and Aeacus stood guard and they could hear everything. The hospital had been thrown into disarray as doctors and nurses prepared to take in the injured and the newly formed police force had been called to assist the raid on the Senate.

An asari nurse had hooked Krill up to a blood bag and he had been stitched up, Wróg expected more to be done but there was hardly any work that actually needed to be fixed. The blade that had pierced Krill had missed all of his internal organs, a warrior trained since birth would not have made such a mistake.

Isandro had only wanted to injure Krill, which made Wróg wonder what Isandro was planning on doing if he was ever called upon to kill the Senators. Wróg didn't doubt Isandro was capable of murder, but maybe he didn't kill those he thought didn't deserve it.

"Should we be out there helping?" Adria asked.

"Half of the team are there," Wróg answered. "Along with over two hundred guards and our police force, it's unlikely they'll lose."

"But who are these soldiers?" Adria asked. "Are they the rest of Clan Hellige?"

"It's likely they are," he replied. "They must have kept them on stand-by in case Isandro failed."

Krill opened his eyes and tried to make out what was happening, but everything was foggy and hazy like he had taken some bad ryncol. His head was heavy and his limbs faint, like they weren't there, but he saw something that comforted him. He saw Wróg's funny coloured purple crests and he relaxed.

For now he would rest, and then tomorrow, when he was better, he would pay Isandro a visit.

...

The dust cleared and on the floor laid dead krogan. They had lost very few guards, only the four sentinels who had been guarding the door had lost their lives as they had been at the heart of the explosion, others were merely injured and would require a day or two of rest.

The Hellige forces had been exterminated and shortly after some guards discovered the rest of the clan, hidden in a cold cave in the dark plains between Urdnot and the old plains. They were mostly women and children and the men incapable of fighting, and they were more than happy to explain everything their cruel and tyrannical leaders had planned.

While they were being treated the Elders were executed, and Isandro was left for debate. Some wanted him killed, others wanted him exiled, while a few wanted him to be taken care of. He had turned on his leaders and helped win the battle, though he was yet to explain why.

"Are you sure about this?" Grunt asked.

The Senators had returned to their place of work despite the construction underway, and all seemed to return to normal. Krogan were used to wars and explosions and could easily carry on with their lives after any event. Around them some improvements were being made to secure the Senate's safety in case of any future attacks.

Krill had been let out of hospital after two days, he walked with difficulty but within another few days he should be fine as long as he was careful. Now out he had planned to see Isandro, much to Grunt's - and everyone's - surprise.

"I want to talk to him," Krill replied. "He didn't kill me, even though it would have been easy for any krogan to squish my soft salarian head, and then he turns on his master's."

"The Elders are cruel people," Grunt said. "Every member of Clan Hellige not indoctrinated by the lies lived in fear of them, now they're on their way to becoming citizens of the Union."

"So... it wouldn't be surprising if he had decided to turn on them because of how he was treated?" Krill said.

Grunt nodded.

They met with Ira, who had agreed to the meeting. Grunt suspected she was so willing to allow them to see the convict was because they had not been able to get anything out of him and hoped Grunt would have a better chance.

She took them down to a special room, an interrogation room with nothing but a table and chairs. Isandro had been restrained to his seat, even though he looked in no rush to leave.

"Just knock and we'll come get you," she said and closed the door behind them.

Krill hobbled over to the chair and with Grunt's help managed to sit. Isandro seemed surprised that Krill would come to see him, and he looked ashamed of his actions. Grunt wasn't sure what to make of him, he had been trained to be a saviour and now he knew he was nothing more than just a krogan.

What could possibly be running through his head?

"Hey," Krill greeted, "how have you been?"

Isandro glanced to Grunt, unsure of what to say. He had seen many people over the last few days that had opened up with a variety of things, but never had they greeted him so warmly.

"Uh... not bad," Isandro replied. "I haven't... been sleeping well."

"Nightmares?" Krill guessed.

Isandro nodded. "Those soldiers I killed..." he cried. "I grew up with them and trained with them, but they... believed the Elders. They thought I was the 'Golden Child' and treated me better than I was."

"You don't think you're the Golden Child?" Krill asked.

"I never really did," Isandro replied. "I couldn't understand how I could change everything... and you and that silver crested krogan... you just confirmed what I always thought. I wasn't saving anyone."

"But you did," Krill argued. "You fought on our side and helped to save lives, if it had been the other way 'round..."

"Why are you here?" Isandro asked. "I could have killed you and yet you're here. Why?"

"Because you didn't kill me," Krill replied. "You missed my heart by mere inches, it takes skill to be so careful in battle. You didn't _want_ to kill me."

Isandro didn't reply at first, but they saw in his eyes that it was true.

"I didn't understand why I should have killed you..." Isandro said. "I didn't understand the need for war when everything seemed so perfect. I thought if I just injured you and then lied to them..."

"It doesn't matter now, I suppose," Krill smiled. "I'm alive. You're alive. Your clan are safe and we can move on."

"... Will the Senators kill me?" Isandro asked. "I... don't want to die. And I know they may never fully trust me. But lock me up, anything, just don't kill me when I haven't seen my home world in its glory!"

"I'll do what I can," Krill promised. "I'll make sure you're taken care of."

"Thank you," Isandro smiled. "And I'm sorry. For everything."

...

_ENTRY 005_

_I haven't done this in a while... and a lot has happened, so I should just give a quick rundown of things before I finally get some sleep. Shepard is alive, she's on the Citadel and receiving help but it's unlikely she'll fight again. On current news, my team helped fight an invading force._

_I can't understand why my own people would want to ruin our future. I just... *sigh* _

_Isandro has been put into a special care centre, it's normally for soldiers with shellshock or who struggle to re-join society, but Krill thinks it will help. I don't know... it may help but..._

_He's an Okeer subject, like me and Giger and Steel. They're the closest thing I have to family, but they always seem to avoid my one question. Well, not anymore. Steel and Giger are going to answer my questions, whether they want to or not._

_To Be Continued..._


	14. Marooned

**Chapter Fourteen: Marooned**

Giger walked to the gym that morning, a gym he was surprised even existed - because his girlfriend had bought it and he didn't even know about it until the other day. She had been on Tuchanka for a few weeks now, almost a full month, so he could understand wanting to get comfortable.

But quitting her job on Equality and deciding to permanently move to Tuchanka and open a business? Sometimes he just couldn't understand her. He had been so busy recently he had not known she had gone back to Equality, gotten their things, sold their house and bought an empty building and equipment.

He had only found out the other day when Wrex had gathered them together to discuss a slight change in the way Aralakh Company would conduct themselves. It was a minor change, a new uniform was required just to keep their identity a secret.

Anyone could have identified them during Clan Hellige's attack, if things had gone any other way Aralakh Company would have been found out and then they would have been compromised. Wrex wanted to make sure they didn't slip up so stupidly in the midst of battle. While the others dicussed possibly ideas, Shay aksed about FGs.

_"What the hell is FG's?" he had asked._

_"Um... the gym Faust is opening," she replied. "Didn't you know?"_

_"Obviously not!" he said. "That girl... she's insane, she never tells me anything!"_

Now he was going to see what she was so keen on keeping a secret and he was determined to ask her what the hell she was thinking when she decided to change the way they lived. He found the gym, a fairly large building with a sign hanging above the door that simply said _'FG's Gym'_.

The front of the gym was tinted glass, making it hard for anyone to look inside, which he supposed was clever. Not everyone enjoyed being gawked at when they tried to feel better about their appearance. He stepped through the door, ignoring the closed sign, and looked at all of the equipment. She had everything from turian weights to krogan thigh blasters; there was a dance studio at the far back and another room leading to a spar.

He spotted Faust by the studio, talking to several of people who he assumed was her new employees. There were two krogan, a salarian and some asari. She _had_ done a lot since she had arrived, more than he expected. She had even got a haircut, finally cutting off those silly plaited bits he hated.

Faust spotted him and called an end to her meeting.

"Remember, we open tomorrow!" she called as they left. "Be here at 7:30 sharp!"

Giger watched them go and then turned to her. He crossed his arms disapprovingly and she shrugged sheepishly.

"I know this seems... extreme," she said. "But I wanted to tell you after it were finished."

"It seems finished," he said. "Why don't you tell me now?"

"Okay," she sighed.

She went to a bench and sat, tapping the spot next to her. He hesitantly joined her, eagerly waiting for her already prepared answer. She knew he may take it badly, he was just that type of person, and it was why she had been preparing her answer for some time.

"We can't go to Equality without endangering everyone," she explained. "Aria will send forces after us, but here on Tuchanka, we'll be safe. You have your brother and allies close-by and if she did try anything, she'd have a lot of angry krogan after her."

"That's it?" he asked, unconvinced. "No other reason?"

"Well..." she sighed. "I'm... I'm tired of hurting people. I hurt people as an Executioner, then as a bounty hunter. I just want to help people and I can do it through this. Besides, we're going to be on Tuchanka for some time... so it works out."

"Did you ever think about the financial problems?" he asked. "If this backfires-"

"I didn't spend_ all_ of our money," she said, insulted. "We have enough to fall back on if this fails, but I don't think it will. I've already sold membership to a hundred people with people coming in for 'off-time routines'. People want this."

He still looked unconvinced of her success. She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Ah, my sweet pessimist," she said. "How about a work out?"

"What kind of work out?" he asked.

"Not that kind," she blushed. "Er... maybe later." She got up and stretched. "I meant, why don't we spar?" she asked. "It has been awhile..."

"I beat you last time," he laughed.

"I let you win," she corrected.

"Then I'll definitely have to beat you now," he grinned.

He jumped up and followed her to the sparring mat. She removed her trousers and he was somewhat disappointed to see a pair of shorts underneath. He removed some of his armour, just to lighten his own load. She was small and fast, he couldn't let his armour get in the way.

"Ready?" she said.

"Whenever you are," he smirked.

She made the first move, releasing a quick, sharp jab. He deflected and returned a strike, she side-stepped and struck him in the side. He staggered slightly, but regained his footing and released a kick. She jumped over his leg and swung a kick, catching the side of his head.

He fell back, feeling his face. "Shit..." he hissed.

"Should I be more careful?" she said. "I don't want to hurt you, and I know you go easy on me."

"It's good for you to feel empowered," he teased.

She smirked and went for him again. They parried strikes and went in for harsh jabs, almost evenly matched in their moves. They talked as they sparred, as they always did. It was normally something boring, as they hardly paid attention to gossip or the like. It was just something they did as they had a fondness for background noise.

"Aralakh Company are going to get new uniforms," he told her. "Wrex wants to make sure we're hard to identify, which is a good idea - but it should have been done sooner."

"Then why not bring out your old Naraka uniform?" she suggested. "Or would your whole crew have to dress like you?"

"Skoll already wears a skull as a helmet," he said. "So he's already half-way there."

She blocked another blow and ended up behind him, wrapping a leg around his and tripped him up. He fell onto the mat and she sat atop his back. She ran her finger along the gaps between his armoured hide and he sat there, admitting a defeat he was glad to give her.

"Maybe this could work..." he said. "Living here... it's nicer than Omega and warmer than Equality."

She rolled off his back and landed beside him.

"I like the people too," she said. "Sif is nice, and Shay... it's been awhile since we've had friends."

"It's never bothered you before," he pointed out.

"I know, but ever since we left Omega..." she sighed and sat up. "I left my friends there, the only real friends I've had, and you're a stubborn arse who has no idea how to even make friends."

He laughed.

She gently rubbed his head, playing with a certain broken crest that had a particularly nasty scar, and decided today was going to be a good day. She worried he was going to be mad, and though he had fears, he was on-board with her plans.

Everything was going to be just fine.

The gym's door opened and in walked Steel and Grunt. Steel looked around the gym, clearly impressed, and whistled.

"It's looking good, Faust," he said. "I never expected you could make this dump look so good."

"Thanks... I think," she said.

She stood and Giger made no effort to stand.

"You guys want a gym membership or are you here for Giger?" she asked.

"I'll take both," Grunt said.

"What do you need me for?" Giger asked.

"Get up and I'll tell you," Steel said.

"You should really get up," she agreed. "You look like a stuck turtle."

He frowned at her comment, he hated it when she called him a 'turtle', mostly because he had no idea what a turtle was. Whatever it was, it sounded tasty.

"We've got-"

Grunt nudged Steel's side, interrupting him.

"Should we be talking about this in front of her?" Grunt asked him.

"She already knows," Steel answered. "She's Faust, there's nothing she doesn't know."

"Hmm," Grunt watched her cautiously. "Alright then."

"Not going to nudge me again?"

"...No."

"Good," Steel said. "Then I can continue. We received a tip-off, some rebel organization held up on some tropical and uninhabited planet are planning to come here and try to overthrow us. They heard about Clan Hellige and it's likely they want to attack us in a weakened moment."

"Are they krogan?" Giger asked.

"We're not sure," Grunt answered. "But there is a possibility they could be Blood Pack members out to end this Union."

"Then you better go and check it out," Faust said. "When new empires are forged there is always those who wish to tear at its foundations and watch it fall, so you guardians must stay on watch for those terrorists of hope."

"...You've been reading _those_ books again, haven't you?" Giger asked. "You always get philosophical when you've read centuries old book."

"I can't help it," she said. "Von Goethe speaks to me in so many ways."

"Oh, I know," he said and reached over for a kiss. "Be good, I'll try to be back before your grand opening."

"Don't make any promises," she said. "If you miss it because your saving lives then I won't be mad."

He smirked and left with his brother's, and for some horrible reason Faust had a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was a feeling she had felt often, just when all seemed well in life a chilling serpent of ice would rise up within her and curl around her heart and whisper dark prophecies.

Call it a premonition or just a feeling, whenever the chill came upon her she would clasp her arms as if to keep the snake inside and around her the world would crumble and burn. The last time she had felt the serpent Giger had almost died and Aria had become their enemy.

What was coming to destroy her world now?

At times like this she always thought of von Goethe, the ancient German poet whose name she had retrieved from one of his works. As she stood there, clutching her arms and wishing for Giger to come back and forget about his mission, she remembered _Faust: A Tragedy in Two Parts_.

"Methinks, by most, 'twill be confess'd that Death is never quite a welcome guest."

...

The trio went to the Urdnot military base, just a few miles out of the cities borders, and prepared for their new assignment. Skoll was inside one of the barracks waiting for them, the official/unofficial base of operations for Aralakh Company, which had been dubbed the 'Wrath of Our People'.

He handed them each a new uniform, medium Liberator armour that was an off-red colour until tuned in with an Omni-tool, which then activated a new camouflage system that blended the suit with whatever environment they were working in.

Hati, Skoll's loyal varren, lay on the floor at Skoll's feet and they all realized this was the first time any of them had even seen the mutt. She was old, not as old as Skoll, but with enough scratches to prove how many fights the half-blind bitch had been in.

"So this is Aralakh's new uniform?" Giger asked. "It's kind of bland."

"It's a prototype," Skoll answered. "You're going to check how well it works while you investigate these claims of a rebel fraction."

"Is there nothing else we know?" Steel asked. "Any new information?"

"No," Skoll replied. "We've heard a few things, none of which is good, so I suggest getting there as soon as possible and sorting this thing out."

"You make it sound easy," Grunt said.

"Please, in my day these black op assignments were my prized events," Skoll said. "I'd enjoy going out with nothing more than a silencer and a knife, cutting the throats of my enemies and leaving nothing but a trail of bodies."

"Then why aren't you going instead of someone as inexperienced as me?" Grunt teased.

"Because if you whelps aren't broken in at one point you'll be useless when the real fight starts," Skoll answered. "Now get going! The ship's out back and the VI is equipped with everything you need to know."

"Alright, we're going," Giger said.

Hati barely lifted her head as they passed by and left the barrack. Skoll sat beside his loyal mutt and stroked her behind the ear, she growled approvingly and settled against his hand.

"Those whelps..." Skoll smirked. "Remind me of the old days..."

...

The ship was a strange looking thing, not quite a shuttle and not quite a cruiser, but rather something in between with the smoothed out shape of a basic shuttle with everything a cruiser would be expected to have. Like the suits it was an experimental tool developed by krogan scientists who had, until recently, not the funds or resources to begin work.

After all, who had heard of a_ smart_ krogan?

They entered the dark ship and searched for some sort of control panel, anything that could start the ship, but all they found was some seats, an armoury and even a small room with some bunk-beds. The spot where the controls should be had been replaced by a single circular disk on the floor.

"Skoll _did_ mention a VI," Grunt pointed out. "Do you think maybe it controls the ship?"

"Could be..." Steel agreed. "Hey, VI, you home?"

The circular panel activated and opened, with a silent hiss a panel was lifted and atop it a synthetic asari. Grunt was reminded of EDI, or rather, a more downgraded version of EDI. Her joints could be seen, every line that marked a connecting limb or even her jaw, which made it look like she had been constructed out of spare parts.

She didn't look like any VI Grunt had ever seen, then again, calling this thing an AI would have caused more problems than anyone would have liked to admit. Shepard destroyed all the AIs along with the Reapers, if more were created, if no one had learnt from their lesson, then what was the point in the geth's extinction?

"Good morning, gentlemen, my name is Vivian Isley," she introduced. "I am your pilot, ship, communication officer and gunnery chief. Whatever you require, it is my wish to fulfil."

"My AI isn't even this polite," Steel laughed.

"AI?" Grunt said, playing innocent. "I thought all AI's were destroyed."

"All AIs with a physical platform," Steel corrected. "If a platform is destroyed an AI loses all its connections and dies, but if the AI retreats to a simple core form it is possible for it to survive. Just ask your friend EDI."

"How did you..." Grunt didn't finish, Steel and Giger knew more than anyone knew.

"As long as she knows the plan and can take us there I couldn't care less what she is," Giger interrupted.

"Oh, I can take you there," Viv said. "Hold on a moment."

She turned from them and raised her hands, beneath her palms two circular orbs appeared. She touched them and they turned green, the engine fired and as she twisted the orbs the ship took off silently and smoothly and entered krogan space. Steel watched her, fascinated.

"Four works on a similar level, right?" Giger asked Steel. "He controls the ship like a real pilot."

"Yeah," Steel replied. "It shouldn't be surprising something like this was developed after the Alkoras was drafted into action against the Reapers, someone probably saw him and copied the design."

Grunt wasn't sure who 'Four' was, but he could take a guess it had something to do with the AI he mentioned moments earlier. Grunt took a seat and decided to get some rest, Steel and Giger continued their idle chat and Viv began to sing quietly. The ship was fast and they passed through two relays before Grunt had time to check.

Alone with them, Grunt wondered if now was the time to reveal his feelings and have them tell him why they never came for him. He wanted to know the truth, if only to settle his soul. He had never had a family, nothing more than Shepard, to know he had brothers and that they never came for him, like they never wanted him, it hurt him.

He just wanted the truth.

For some time he sat in silence, waiting for the moment to tell them how he felt, but unable to properly mangle his words together into something that had feeling. Steel and Giger continued to chat, while Viv continued to sing, and it was getting too much.

He needed to say something.

"Can I ask something?" he seemed to cut right through the noise, rendering the place silent, even Viv glanced back to see what was up.

"Sure, what?" Steel asked.

"You told me before you located most of the other Okeer projects," Grunt said. "Did you make your presence known to the ones you found?"

"No," Steel replied. "We tried to avoid making contact. Some of them didn't even know that they were Okeer projects, it was best to keep the truth a secret."

"You wanted nothing to do with them?" Grunt questioned.

"We didn't want to get involved," Steel insisted. "A lot of them were willing good lives, we had no right to interfere and ruin things. It's why we didn't speak with you."

Grunt frowned. Steel smirked. Giger and Viv shared a look, wondering how this was going to turn up. Krogan normally weren't good in confined spaces, it tended to lead to fights, and two krogan fighting in one small space was not the best of situations.

"It's a little obvious you wanted to know why we didn't come find you," Steel added. "Why is it you care so much? None of the other projects got special treatment from us."

"But weren't you curious?" Grunt asked. "I was Okeer's last, I was his perfect creation."

Steel lost the smirk and instead he looked totally perplexed. Giger noticed a slight tense in his brother's hands, like he was ready to strike the young krogan down and he would, because Giger knew how much his brother hated Okeer's concept of a 'perfect krogan'. It was the one thing they never agreed on.

Viv sensed the tense atmosphere, but her attention was drawn to the radar and the blinking red dot that fast approached.

"Guys-"

"You think I care about the fact your Okeer's pet project?" Steel asked, his voice surprisingly cold. "That doesn't make you special. You have my DNA so you're as imperfect as I am, as any mortal, so don't you dare think you get special treatment for what you are!"

"I never-"

"Don't you _dare_ lie and say you never thought you was perfect," Steel growled. "You've had the thought implanted in you since the day you came out of that tank! You look down on others, on potential mates, because you thought you were perfect and they needed to be perfect to suit your needs."

"That's not true!" Grunt argued. "I may have looked down on others, but I never once thought Shay'kera wasn't perfect for me!"

"Shay'kera?" Giger repeated. "I never expected her name to pop up."

Grunt blushed, "S-shut up!" he stammered. "This doesn't involve you!"

The trio fell into bickering, arguing about something that seemed so silly and childish to the AI. Viv didn't know how to defuse the situation, she wasn't programmed to handle this kind of personal fighting. Besides, she had something far more important to focus on.

She turned to her controls and activated the safety net, metal braces popped out from the chairs and pulled the krogan down into their seats and fastened them in place tightly. Giger struggled for a moment, wondering what the hell Viv was doing, until he saw the terminal turn red.

"What's happening?" Steel demanded.

"We just entered the planet's atmosphere," Viv reported, "and we're being fired upon by the enemy. I've identified the missile they've fired, and well... it's the type used by batarian slavers."

"Slavers are planning the attack against us?" Giger said. "Why?"

"Don't jump to any conclusions!" Steel ordered. "Viv, avoid that missile and take us in to where it was fired!"

The ship took a sharp turn and spiralled down, touching the top of the lush forest as Viv guided it away from the fast approaching shell of death. She took it down low, further into the forest and the missile followed. She watched it on the second terminal, noting the distant, and then twisted up.

The missile faltered and crashed, hitting the ground and exploding in a fiery collision that sent a thick shockwave upwards. It rattled the ship, but Viv managed to keep it straight. She watched her terminal and saw another missile, too late to shake it.

"Damn it!" she swore. "I've strengthened the shields but we're still going to crash. Brace for impact!"

Giger grabbed his helmet and secured it on tightly. He noticed Steel staring at him with an odd expression, something like, _"Why do you care about your appearance with all those scars?"_

"I'm not going to lose another point off my crest!" Giger said. "I'm ugly enough as it is!"

Steel laughed, even in such danger he managed to laugh.

The missile struck, breaking through the shield and destroying the rear end of the ship in a ball of fire. It spiralled down, spinning the crew and the world. Viv tried to keep a hold on her controls, tried to soften the landing to no avail.

The ship struck a tree and was flung forwards, crashing into another tree and smashing into the ground as it flipped and spun, hitting the ground again and again like a stone skipping across a river, before it rolled to a stop in a large and dirty puddle.

...

Grunt heard the crackling pops of splitting wood and felt the warm flames of a fire, the buzz of insects and gentle hush of rain. It all sounded so soothing, he almost didn't want to wake up, but a hard kick to the ribs jolted him out of his pleasant stupor.

He opened his eyes and saw darkness and rain and just the faintest of fires hidden beneath the foliage of trees. His arms were stiff, and for a moment he thought it was from the crash, but then he saw the thick metal restraints that kept his arms locked behind his head and connected to the bars of a cage.

Had they been captured so soon? He didn't think he had been hurt too badly in the fall, but there was no underestimating the tactics of the enemy. They knew Aralakh Company were coming and acted accordingly, they had fallen into a trap they had should have seen coming.

"Damn it," he swore.

"Sorry for kicking you," Steel said, "but I needed you to wake up."

"Who are they?" Grunt asked.

"Batarians," Steel replied. "Around twenty of them. They don't have a lot of fire power and only one small ship. They aren't much of a force."

One of the batarians approached them, unlike the others he wore red armour, and had some unusual face paint on his face. Steel didn't recognize the marking, which was unusual for such a well-travelled pirate. He knew almost all the small cults and sects and fractions, but this one was either new or older than him.

He knelt beside the cage, a small gun in hand, which he tapped against the bars every so often in an off-beat, bored tone.

"This is it?" he asked. "I would have thought the Union would have sent more to check out such a potential threat... but for a reconnaissance it's probably enough."

"_You're_ the threat?" Steel laughed. "Your just a group of twenty mercs with a stupid plan."

The batarian smirked, "You think it's just us?" he said. "You're as stupid as I thought."

"Not really," Steel said. "You just confirmed what we suspected - you're just a ground force sent to keep us here, to prevent us from reporting back to base while the rest of your group attacks our Senate."

"Even if you reported back it would be too late," the batarian said. "Our men are already there. The attack has already begun."

"What?" Giger gasped. "You bastards!"

"What have you done?" Grunt demanded.

"We just seized our chance," the batarian said. "The Hellige Clan destroyed much of your Senate and in such a weakened state we attacked, it's as simple as that."

"They won't fall so easily," Steel said. "Our people are strong."

"I know," he said. "But after everything that's happened - your nuclear winter, the Rebellions, the Genophage, the Reapers and now this attack by your own people, how much more can your kind take before they break?"

The batarian laughed and holstered his gun, he turned to his men and ordered them forwards. "Dispose of them," he ordered. "I don't care how, just make it slow."

"I got an idea," said one. "C'mon, help me carry this thing."

Some more mercs came over and they picked up the cage, dragging it further into the forest, until they came to a large drop over a raging river. Some mercs laughed when they realized their companions plan, and Steel began to panic as he tried to free himself from his bounds.

"I can't wait to see you in hell!" the red leader called cheerfully as his men pushed the caged krogan over the edge into the dark abyss. They felt the sting of the wind as they plummented down towards the dark water and hit the surface hard, sinking down into the watery depths and dissapearing from sight.

_To Be Continued..._


	15. Regicide

**Chapter Fifteen: Regicide**

_Urdnot City, Tuchanka_

The sky was filled with smoke and along the air all that could be heard were the cries of war. Gun shots sounded like claps of thunder and the heavy steps of soldiers shook the earth, though the buildings still stood in one piece and the people fought back, how long before Tuchanka was reduced to rubble?

It was everything Wrex had feared, Tuchanka returning to her old ways as war ravaged his people. It was everything he had tried to avoid, after all that happened in the past months how could it all fall apart so soon? He couldn't allow Tuchanka and the Union to fall to some batarian raiders, no matter how good a force they had.

"How are things looking?" he demanded.

Krill wasn't quite sure how to tell Wrex the situation, considering how dire things seemed. The enemy had been well prepared, allowing small units of their men to infiltrate the city over some weeks and learn the way of things before worming their way into the military camp and cutting them off completely with a force large enough to keep the small army camp at bay while the rest of the forces invaded the city and made their way to the Senate.

The first guards arrived shortly after the krogan were accepted back into the Citadel, which made Krill wonder if the batarians were sour over the way they had been treated. They had an entire system when Shepard destroyed a mass relay to delay the Reapers return and when the Reapers finally arrived they were hit the hardest, they were almost an endangered species now.

But what could they possibly gain by attacking the Krogan Union? Were they trying to send a message or was this some kind of takeover? How had Krill not known of this attack? It was his duty to protect this Union, to relay any hint of a threat, and he had failed to discover the true threat.

Wrex saw Krill's reluctance and sighed, "That bad, huh?" he said. "Then I guess we have to fight back until we figure out what they want. How long before the soldiers from Weyrloc arrive?"

"I can't be sure," Krill replied. "Weyrloc's own military base was attacked and any other neighbouring military force has also been facing the enemy. They've completely cut us off."

"How are the forces here in Urdnot holding up?" Wrex inquired.

"As well as they can," Krill answered. "Our police force has teamed up with whatever military personnel were in the city, as well as any armed civilian, and they've managed to keep the enemy far enough back to keep the Senate safe."

"Have Aralakh Company been deployed?" Wrex asked as he reached for his desk and took his gun from the drawer.

"Skoll and Shay have taken all the Shaman's and Senators below into the safe room," Krill brought up an image on his Omni-tool, a strategic map that highlighted the Company's locations. "Nakmor Sif is also with them, ready to throw up a biotic shield. Adria and Wróg are with the medics ready for any casualties, while Durak and Aeacus are splitting their time between the front line and the east and west fronts."

"Any word on the Okeer boys?" Wrex asked.

"None," Krill replied sadly. "It's likely the enemy released just the right amount of information to lead some of our forces away, but luckily you only sent a small force. They... they probably aren't dead."

"I never doubted they were dead," Wrex said. "It'll take more than some third-rate army to keep them down."

_That second-rate army is doing a damn good job right now,_ Krill thought grimly. _They took us totally by surprising, we shouldn't underestimate them._

Krill didn't voice his concerns; it was likely Wrex was already aware of how hollow his insult was. He just said it to make him feel a little bit better about the situation.

Wrex left his office and headed down to the front doors, to give a rousing speech to his forces most probably, at a time like this they would need some cheering up. The krogan had endured too much to not have a happy ending, and they sure as hell weren't going to let some renegade faction take it from them.

...

Below in the dark waters of a tropical planet there appeared a light, a bright glow that sent ripples across the surface. Bubbles rose, popping and foaming, and a krogan head burst forth from the uneven surface. Grunt gasped and chocked, spewing up water, and he clutched Steel.

Giger's head popped out from the water beside him and he quickly searched for some bit of land, something for them to rest on and collect their bearings. He glanced over at Steel and splashed water in his face.

"Damn pyjack!" he swore. "You still haven't learned to swim?"

"I'm holding onto Grunt like some varren pup and you can't tell?" Steel snapped. "No! I _still_ can't swim! Though it may have something to do with my aquaphobia!"

Giger glared at him and splashed him again.

"Enough!" Grunt ordered. "We need to get to our ship and Viv and get back to Tuchanka. If what that batarian said is true, if Tuchanka is under attack, then we need to get there and help."

"You don't think our people can't handle some raiders?" Giger asked.

"It's not just some raiders," Steel said. "These were just a distraction, dumbass! The real threat is on our home turf!"

Giger frowned, it wasn't often he saw Steel get agitated and it wasn't generally a good sight. They swam down river and eventually found land. Steel pulled himself up onto the muddy bank and called Viv, while Giger and Grunt sat down in the mud.

"You think those guards will come looking?" Giger said.

"Not unless we give them reason too," Grunt answered. "Any luck, Steel?"

"I can't get through to Tuchanka," Steel replied. "But I seem to have a clear connection to Viv... give me a moment."

He opened a link to her and the ship and after a delayed pause Viv answered. The vid was offline and the audio was fuzzy, it didn't speak well for the condition of the ship. But her answering was a good sign; it meant not all was lost.

"Are you okay Viv?" he asked. "Have you heard anything from Tuchanka?"

"How's the ship?" Grunt added.

"I am operating at 89% efficiency," Viv answered. "I suffered some injuries in the crash, mostly loss of function of my right limbs, which I am repairing slowly. My communication tower is down, I only have a short range so I do not know the condition of Tuchanka at this present moment, and the ship cannot be repaired until I am functional."

"So we're stuck?" Grunt cried. "No! I won't be stuck here, waiting for the ship to be repaired! There has to be someone we can call."

"Well..." Giger said and turned to Steel. "There _is_ someone..."

Steel caught his brother's stare and he knew exactly what who his brother was referring too, "W-what?" he said. "You can't be serious!"

"What choice do we have?" Giger retorted. "It has everything we need! And it's one of the fastest vessels!"

"Wait, I'm confused," Grunt said. "Who are you talking about?"

"Viv can't call for help and it'll be some time before the ship is repaired," Giger replied, "but Steel can always contact the Alkoras."

"You can? You can get us out of here?" Grunt said. "Then do it!"

Steel seemed reluctant, but he knew this situation was far too serious for him to say no. They picked themselves up and headed deep into the jungle, trying to navigate back to Viv. They couldn't leave her there, but the ship would have to be recovered later.

Steel made the call as they walked; they tried not to interrupt him as they used Grunt's Omni-tool to locate the ship. They hadn't been washed down too far thankfully and it was just a half hour walk through the muddy terrain before they found the ship just where they had crashed it.

"Shit, guards," Giger swore. "They have our weapons - do you think you can take them out with your biotics?"

"Probably," Grunt said. "But if we alert the others then we'll have a fight on our hand, I can't take out all of them and try to protect you and Steel and Viv. We can't risk it."

"Don't worry," Steel smiled. "The cavalry has arrived."

"What are you-"

Beyond the forest there was a loud explosion and the sky lit up in a hail of fire and smoke, lighting the sky red. The guards turned to the flare of light and were cut down by a sea of bullets that tore them apart and threw the bloody corpses to the ground.

"Where...?" Giger gasped. "Your lady captain has learnt a few tricks since the last I saw her."

"You mean, since the last you kidnapped her?" Steel teased.

"I told you... it was a mistake," Giger said sorely.

"They came so quick..." Grunt said. "How? I didn't see them land."

"They didn't land," Steel replied and pointed up.

Grunt looked and squinted, trying to make out a shape, and he saw the air shimmer and spark and the strangest ship appeared. It looked just like a wooden pirate ship, it even had sails of golden energy and a crow's nest. It was constructed of a smooth tanned metal, with a carving of a beautiful asari at the front. There didn't seem to be a helm and the lower decks, though the top was shaped like a shape, oddly resembled any other vessel.

The name was written in red and in turian, bright and bold, **ALKORAS**.

"How does it fly?" Grunt asked. "Something like that shouldn't even work."

"It has engines and a drive core like any other ship," Steel explained. "The sails are powered by solar power, given it an edge on the accuracy front, and a mass effect field keeps everything protected. The sails are mostly for show though, despite their use, and are lowered half the time."

There was a rustling behind him and two figures appeared, one a salarian with a mechanical arm and the other a yahg, both with the same patterns as Steel tattooed on their face. The salarian smiled at Steel and greeted him with a friendly fist bump.

"Giving away our secrets?" the salarian laughed. "That's not like you, Steel."

"I know, can we discuss it later, Lore?" Steel asked. "We haven't got much time."

"Right, right," Lore said. "Korstä!" he called over to the yahg. "Get the AI from the ship while Shera retrieves the ship."

The Alkoras came down, not quite landing, but close enough to the ground for the asari on board to lift the damaged ship and all the ground crew back onto the ship. The engine bay doors closed and they felt the tell-tale shifts of the ship as it changed course and headed into the cold space.

Grunt glanced over to the asari and he remembered the time they went after an Ardat-Yakshi on Illium, specifically he remembered that Steel knew one. Surely this asari couldn't be... well, maybe.

"You came rather quickly," Giger remarked.

"Lucky for you we were close-by," Shera, the asari, replied. "Reports came in about communication from Tuchanka being suddenly cut off, Ryö got worried and changed course for Tuchanka and just as we were passing through we get a call off Steel asking for help."

"You have to take us to Tuchanka," Grunt ordered. "It's under attack-"

"We know," Shera said calmly. "Steel informed us of the situation. We'll be there as soon as we can, in the meantime Ryö called for some assistance in a nearby colony, but we can't rely on them to act quickly enough."

"Do you know anything about the situation?" Steel asked.

"Communication is cut off, but we've recieved some info from Faust," Korstä replied. "The krogan are holding their own and the batarians are working alone, a small army led by one man, it seems. But the enemy is clever, they've cut off the military's access to the Senate."

The elevator doors opened and out stepped a turian, the members of the Alkoras immediately fell into line, including the yahg. They didn't stand like soldiers, more like naughty school kids caught defacing public property, they smirked and slouched, even Shera - who seemed so proper - didn't stand tall.

The turian was somewhat pale and wore a pirate hat, hiding the part of her crest that had a crack, and her entire face was intricately covered in the strange purple markings. She had a sword on her hip and a smile on her face that was warmed by the sight of Steel.

"Are you both okay?" she asked Giger and Grunt. "If you are injured I can have Eve see to any wounds, even you Giger. I don't hold any ill feelings towards you kidnapping me, not when it served a greater purpose."

"We're both fine," Giger told her. "But thanks anyway, Captain Ryöstää. We just want to go get to Tuchanka."

"We'll be there soon," Ryö said. "Give or take a few minutes. But I wouldn't underestimate your people, they'll do just fine without you lot."

She turned from them, ordering Steel to accompany her to the engineering bay, and as she left Grunt noticed something odd about the captain. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but she resembled someone he didn't quite know, but had seen only once before.

...

Krill ran through the streets of Urdnot, ducking into narrow alley ways and trying his best to avoid any gun fire. The military base in Urdnot had punched a hole through the enemies defence and had begun to spread into the streets, things were turning forever in their favour.

He took a left, heading to the hospital and tried to get a better understanding of the situation. He was gathering information for the Senators. Wrex had reluctantly re-joined them and left the fighting to his people, but he decided he was still going to defend his mate and child with his life.

He spotted the hospital ahead, a line of krogan civilians guarding the front from the enemy and a large ATLAS unit. They had mechs too? How the hell had they managed to get so much force in without anyone noticing? This was insane!

Krill charged forwards, disappearing for a split second before reappearing in a ball of biotic energy that sent the enemies flying back into the dirt and knocking the ATLAS back. Krill stood before the defensive line and summoned a large force field, covering the entire guard and the front of the hospital in a protective wall.

The ATLAS raised its large claw and slammed it into the shield, Krill felt the attack reverberate right into his bones and he gasped in pain. He turned his steely biotic gaze on the ATLAS, refusing to lower the shield. He wasn't going to let the krogan fall, not while he could still do something.

The ATLAS took a step back and readied its cannon for a missile launch. Krill tensed, trying to push more of his energy into the shield. The cannon powered up with a noticeable _whirr_ and from somewhere a blade cut right through the cannon.

The cannon lit up like a firework as the backfire caused the systems to malfunction and burn. The ATLAS caught on fire, the flames spreading to the ignition tank, and with a loud bang and burst of light the ATLAS exploded. Chunks of metal and flaming parts fell to the ground and Krill lowered the shield, collapsing to his knees.

There was a hand at his shoulder and suddenly there was someone at his side that wasn't a krogan. He recognized her instantly from her eyes and hair, but if he didn't know better he would have thought this stranger before him was some kind of assassin.

Faust had a colourful past, most of it Krill knew, and this little outfit he was familiar with. She wore along her jaw remnants of a skull that covered her mouth and sides of her face, though it was just a ploy on her outfit's nickname, it was actually just a customised mask.

She wore a dark jacket and tight pants with army boots, and along her visible black shirt was a white spine down the centre and extensions of ribs along her chest. Beside her was a war scythe with a modified pole that allows for it to break in half, subsequently turning it into a double blade _kusarigama_.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I'm just fine, Grim Reaper," he teased. "I didn't expect you to come out dressed like _that_."

"My jacket's bullet proof, the pants flame retardant and these bones along my chest actually contain small mass effect fields that shield me," she told him. "I'm more prepared than anyone."

"What's the situation?" Krill asked.

"Good," she said. "I've been going around taking out the ATLAS' they brought with them, though this was the last one at just four units. We've identified the leader and he's making his way to the Senate, I've already informed the guards there."

"Good," Krill staggered to his feet. "I'll return there and-"

"No way," she said. "Not too long ago you were cut down by Isandro, it may not have killed it but you're still not at full strength. Stay here and help, let me go."

"Then... be careful," he ordered. "We haven't won yet."

...

Skoll lay on the roof of the Senate, his Mantis sniper rifle in hand, and he picked off the enemies one by one. Shay remained downstairs with Sif, guarding the entrance to the safe room, and he did what he did best. Hati stood on guard, though she was hardly fit for service her keen hearing was an advantage if anyone came close.

His comm buzzed and he intercepted the message. "Hiding Raloi in the nest, how is your brother?"

"I just passed him, Info Broker says hi," Faust answered. "But still no word on if there is a _mmoc kcah_. How's the truffle patch?"

Skoll grimaced, no matter how old he became or how many assignments he had been on, he would never get the hand of using code. While he understood the importance of it, especially during times like this, he sometimes forgot himself. Good thing he remembered his code name was Hiding Raloi, he just wished he didn't have to use human terms to communicate with Faust.

He had known Faust from his days before Aralakh Company, whenever he passed through Omega it was Faust he called on, no other human could keep up with his drinking. Once or twice they had even worked together, though he was never quite sure what it was she did for a living.

"No pigs yet," he answered. "Looking forwards to seeing the Grim Reaper, though."

She laughed.

Skoll spotted something through his scope, a small squad heading towards them and the krogan guards had not yet spotted them. He readied his Mantis and searched for the leader, it was always good to cut the head. It sent the rest of them into a panic and allowed the defensive force to take them out.

He quickly searched through them and managed to make out the leader, he had taken cover behind a wall and was yet to poke his head out. Good thing Skoll was patient. He waited and eventually the batarian crept forwards, Skoll managed to make out his face and he felt his finger pause on the trigger.

"Oh yeah," she said, "Broker says a big boar is heading to the truffle patch."

"I see him..." Skoll said. "I just don't believe it..."

It was him, the batarian from Chora's Den, the one who had served him drinks! He was leading the rebellion? Skoll didn't say anything to have caused this, had he? He remembered telling him that if he wanted to make changes he had to stand up and do something about it, but this wasn't what Skoll intended to happen.

"Damn it," he swore and pulled the trigger.

...

The Alkoras came through the relay and headed straight to Tuchanka, flying at such a speed it seemed almost impossible. It dived through the stratosphere, spiralling down before pulling up and hovering over the city. They looked down at the city, surprised to find it rather... calm.

"Four, land this ship," Ryo ordered. "Keelah, run some scans and see what the news is."

The ship landed at the port and as they left the comfort of the Alkoras they were greeted by several armed guards, Aeacus leading the force. At the sight of the Okeer Trio Aeacus ordered the guards away to continue their duties. It was hard to tell if he was relieved to see them, he always looked bored around them.

"Don't tell me it's over already?" Steel teased.

"You missed all the fun," Aeacus said dryly. "The force was organized, but not strong. After the first line of defence fell the rest of them were quick to follow. We have the leader in custody and expect a statement from the Senators later."

"Then we rushed over for no reason," Ryo shrugged. "Do you need any help rebuilding or in the hospital?"

"There was little property damage," Aeacus answered. "No deaths and few wounded, your help isn't necessary."

Ryö regarded him silently, noticing the way he glared at her, and she smirked. "Well, if we're of no use we'll just hang around," she said. "Just in case."

Aeacus snorted and left, trudging out of the port. Steel rolled his eyes, she truly enjoyed messing with people, especially those who had problems with females.

"_Are_ we staying?" Lore asked.

"Yes," Ryö replied. "We can restock and get some sightseeing done; we may catch some wandering rebels."

Giger left, keen to see if Faust was okay, and soon it was just Grunt and Steel. The Alkoras crew went back inside, with things the way they were it was best to let things settle before going out to wander Urdnot City. Ryö hesitated as she went in, glancing back at the brothers.

"Not quite the bonding exercise you would have wanted," Steel laughed. "And I apologize if I you felt like we... neglected you... but by the time we learnt of you, Giger and I were... I'd rather not talk about it."

"It's fine," Grunt said. "I should be the one to apologize, I assumed... eh, it doesn't matter. It's fine. Let's just start from here."

"I can do that," Steel said. "Just call me and we'll arrange something."

Ryö smiled and headed into her ship, going down below into the brightly lit engineering bay where Keelah sat with a geth's head at a large terminal station. Her daughter smiled at her and she gave her mother a warm squeeze. Four remained silent, the disembodied head knew not to interrupt such a moment.

"Are we staying here for a while?" Keelah asked.

"Yeah and then onto Rannoch, like I promised," Ryö smiled. "You'll finally get to see your home world."

"Sorry to interrupt," Four said. "But we've got an incoming transmission, the Senators are giving a public and intergalactic message. The Citadel Councillors are even listening."

"Patch it through," Ryö ordered.

Four obeyed and a terminal opened, on screen were Urdnot Wrex, Raik Ira and Weyrloc J'on. There didn't appear to be any guards, though chances were there were dozens hidden off-camera, and they seemed to be filming inside the safe room. They were still being wary about the whole situation.

"As some of you may already know," Ira began, "our capital was attacked by a group of batarians. We have the leader in custody and after some patience with him we discovered the meaning behind the attack - like us, the batarians have suffered. Their people are scattered, suffering, since the Reaper attack and no one is helping them.

"He hoped by taking our leaders hostage he could negotiate some kind of treaty with the Councillors, he thought through violence he could seek help for his people. We're not saying we should offer help to those who won't help themselves, but ever since the Reapers came their previous government - as paranoid and corrupt as it was - has been wiped out, leaving them with no voice in politics. The batarians could rise, stronger than before, and they could return to the Citadel races - but they need help and guidance, and that's what the krogan race is going to give them.

"If the batarians out there accept our offer, accept our help, then go to the Citadel and find our representative. Together we can help you be the people you were meant to be. We can't fix the damage done, but we can make a bad situation better."

Ryö closed the transmission and sat down beside Keelah, taking her daughter into her lap. Keelah was an intelligent child, she understood the risks the krogan were taking, but she also knew how well both sides could benefit if this succeeded.

"Do you think the batarians will accept the Union's help?" she asked.

"They found be fools not too," Ryö replied. "Besides, what do they have to lose?"

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_A new chapter for the New Year! I wasn't going to upload anything last week, with it being Christmas I wanted to sit back and enjoy the holiday and all the stuff I got, so sorry for the delay._


	16. Father Says

**Chapter Sixteen: Father Says...**

The Alkoras rose into the crisp orange tinted sky, its blue sails almost leaving a faint mark as it turned and flew up into the air. It left the busstling voices of Tuchanka, the drills and hammers of a broken city in repair, and people who had somehow gripped firmly onto what hope remained.

Grunt and Giger stood in the early morning glow and watched the famed vessel leave, waving farewell to their brother. The crew of the Alkoras stayed a few days to try and assist in what way they could, but as Aeacus had earlier told them, there was little to do other than a few repairs from where Atlas' had had their way.

There were some injuries, few major, and no deaths. The greatest blow had been to the people, the krogan who had fought tooth and nail against the Reapers on Palaven, on Earth, in the darkest reaches of space, and then returned to a world that they fixed and tenderly cared for in hopes of what they had already accomplished.

But it seemed even being part of the Citadel Races did little for their reputation, in fact it seemed to make the situation worse. If they hadn't been accepted once more into the ranks of the Races, would the batarians have even considered krogan a worthy pawn in their foolish game?

Grunt wasn't quite sure, but he knew this current moment in time was essential to the healing process. If one more bad thing happened, if they suffered any more, then the sceptics who had hidden under the wood work would return and incite violence, as it would just be what they had been saying since the start.

They would never be accepted, by no one and by no race.

Grunt didn't believe that, he found it hard to believe that there was not one open-minded person in the whole universe because he knew one person just like that. Shepard taught him there were people capable of understanding, of compassion, but maybe these sceptics couldn't understand that as they were the old krogan who had seen hope die when they were still very young.

"Where are they off too now?" Grunt asked.

"Rannoch," Giger replied. "They're going to show Keelah her homeworld. It won't be much of a sight, though, it's building project is a little behind."

"You'd think they'd be finished by now," Grunt said. "They wanted their homeworld back more desperately than we did."

"There was more to do," Giger replied simply. "Tuchanka had temples and buildings to use, Rannoch had nothing."

They left the port and headed back to town, to check on Faust before moving on to see Skoll. He had been a little odd lately, taking off-world trips without informing his team and spending much of his time in the bars. No one was sure what was wrong and none of them were sure how to approach him.

"Your gym survived the attack, right?" Grunt asked.

"Yeah, not even a scratch," Giger responded. "Faust said they didn't even know they were under attack until some salarian ran to them, begging for help."

They arrived at the gym, not surprised to see it busy - despite Giger's trepiditions it had been a huge success thus far - and quickly sought Faust out. She was with Shay'kera, giggling about some girly business, they supposed.

At the sight of Shay, Giger nudged Grunt, and Grunt blushed deeply. Giger had not forgotten Grunt's outburst on the ship, in fact, he had a copy of the conversation saved onto his Omni-tool, with some help from Viv who was more than happy to help, unaware of his intentions.

"I'm surprised to see you two up so early," Faust said. "You don't usually roll of out bed until eleven, Giger."

"We went to see Steel off," Giger replied.

"Oh, right, the Skull Crew are off to Rannoch," she said. "I'd forgotten. I hope they don't expect anything spectacular, there's not much there other than some houses and the skeletal structures of what will - hopefully - be a better Rannoch."

"You have a strange way of talking, Faust," Shay remarked. "It's sort of... whimsical."

"I do it to mostly hide my real accent," Faust explained. "It's a habit I picked up in my old... career."

"What's the big secret?" Giger asked. "You're from Omega. Pretty much everyone knows that."

She turned on him, playfully_ shhing_ him. Shay turned from the lovers and looked to Grunt, who had been oddly smiling since he saw her. Since he had taken her to Purgatory and showed her his terrible dance moves they had been meeting up more often and had become rather close.

She just wasn't sure where it was heading, was this what some may have referred to as affection or just some fling that fizzled and died like a firework? She wasn't sure and she was uncertain of how to tread, perhaps if she had more experience with males she would know what to do.

"Have you seen Skoll today?" she asked him.

"No," Grunt replied. "We were actually on our way to see him. Do you have any idea where he would be?"

"I heard he's been spending a lot of time at The Miura lately," she answered. "It's near the military, most of the soldiers go there when they're off duty. I'm... worried about him. What could make him change so suddenly?"

...

_The Miura_

The owner of the bar wondered how many times she had told the old krogan to take his pet outside, while she was a fan of varren it made many of the other customers very uncomfortable. The owner, an elderly and somewhat overweight asari by the name of Casca, poked the sleeping krogan with a mop.

"Hey, get up," she ordered. "You can't sleep outside my bar. You're scaring my credits away."

Hati sat loyally next to her master, not to bothered by Casca who continued to poke Skoll until he stirred and eventually managed to sit up. Hati turned to her master and nuzzled him, pushing her face onto his lap. He smiled weakly and scratched her snout.

He spotted the pissed off bar owner and shamefully looked away.

"One too many ryncol, I suppose," he said.

"You're damn right!" she said. "This is too many times, Skoll, if you've got some issues to work through do it at home."

Skoll considered her words, but decided trekking far out to the edge of civilization wasn't worth it, not with this terrible headache. Casca sighed and retreated into her bar, returning a moment later with a glass of water. She was used to drunk krogan and she knew how to handle Skoll, especially.

Back when she was young - and thin - she had served alongside Skoll in various adventures, mostly mercenary and grunt work, until she hit her Matron stage and settled down. She saw him occasionally, drifting through ports and paying her visits, but she had never seen him in such a bad way in a long time.

"Whatever is wrong, Skoll, you need to talk about it to someone," she said. "You can't keep coming here, expecting rnycol to make it go away."

"Who_ can_ I talk too?" he responded. "My life mate is dead, my best friend is a varren and I potentially caused the batarian raid that could have killed my potential daughter!"

"Wow, wow," Casca said. "Say that again? What do you mean you caused the attack? And what daughter?"

Skoll saw no point in denying it any further, he had given that damned batarian the idea when he had met him in Chora's Den. His words had fuelled some dangerous fire that had made its way to Tuchanka and had tried to burn them all in some futile plan, and Shay'kera...

He would do any test to prove what he already knew. She was his daughter, the result of a love that was cut short far too early, and there was nothing he could do. How could he go up to her and explain it all? He had been absent her whole life, to come up to her now and expect acceptance when he had left her to seek vengence was foolish.

But maybe, there was hope. Just look at Steel and Giger, brothers who had fallen out and who had said and done terrible things, yet they had reconciled and even readily accepted this new brother they had only known for a short time. If Grunt could find his family, if Steel could accept Giger back into his life, why couldn't Skoll have a little bit of happiness in his remaining years?

He drunk the water, passed the glass to Casca, and then got to his unsteady feet. He turned and quickly left, breaking into a sprint. Hati watched him go, then grudgingly followed. Casca stood there in the light of a new day, and wondered what exactly Skoll was up too.

...

The krogan left Faust to manage her business and decided to try and find Skoll. He kept to himself, as most older krogan did, and approaching him carefully was the key to handling him and whatever he was going through. If only they knew his inner turmoil and the feelings of regret and remorse he felt, maybe then they could offer something in the way of help.

They went in search of The Miura bar and came across Skoll, charging towards them in a hurry. He skidded to a stop, Hati dropping to the floor next to him in what was clearly too much for the old varren. Skoll glanced at her, checking she was alright, and then focused his attention on Shay'kera.

"What's the rush, Skoll?" Giger asked. "Something wrong?"

"No, I..." he hesitated a moment, before glancing at Shay and steeled his resolve. "I just need to talk to Shay."

"Sure, we'll leave you to it," Giger said and dragged Grunt away.

They decided to leave the pair alone, for whatever it was that had caused the flux in Skoll's behaviour must somehow relate to Shay, considering the speed he had come charging for them. It was clear Grunt wanted to stay, but this didn't involve him, no matter how much he liked Shay he had to let Skoll have his time with her.

...

Faust arose early next morning, greeting a pale orange sky littered with the yellow hints of a fresh day. She showered and changed and headed out to the gym as she did every morning since opening her business. She came to the building and stopped when she noticed a note on the door.

Paper had become almost extinct, but it still had its uses in such a technological age. It mostly served as markers, carrying a distinct code that contained a message only certain Omni-tools could break. She instantly recognized the symbol as one Shay often used, it wasn't one generally used for greetings.

She quickly scanned the symbol, it downloaded into her system and a second later a small message appeared as the code was broken. It was written in traditional krogan letters, an old form of text not many knew. She read it once before ripping the note off the door and running to the only person she knew could help - Grunt.

She ran to his apartment building and found his room, banging on the door. She banged again with her fists, four times before Grunt managed to roll out of bed and open the door.

"What?" he gasped. "What's so important you've got to wake the whole building?"

"Shay's gone!" Faust burst out.

Grunt started, "What do you mean, gone?" he asked. "Where did she go?"

"She's gone back home," Faust explained. "She didn't say why, she just said she may not come back."

"Well... then... isn't it her choice?" Grunt responded automatically.

Faust frowned, giving him one of those hard looks that saw right through his calm demeanour. On the inside he was in turmoil, he cared deeply for Shay and she had just left without giving any possible explanation. If she had time to right the message she had time to say why.

What had happened to cause her to leave and consider never coming back? That wasn't normal behaviour. That was the panicked actions of someone who didn't know how to respond to the situation that had been thrust upon her. Skoll was the last person to see her, what the hell had he done?

Grunt told Faust to wait and re-entered his apartment, quickly throwing on his clothes - no time for armour - and they headed out to his car. They both knew something must have gone wrong to cause Shay to just leave, if it had been any other kind of emergency she would have at least reported to her commanding office, but Grunt had heard nothing from her since Skoll had taken her aside to talk.

They entered the hovering vehicle and as Grunt started the engine and set the coordinates, Faust tried to call Shay. Her attempts were met by a red symbol, a red hand with a stop sign, the childish symbol meant the caller was not taking any calls at the time.

"What the hell happened?" Faust wondered aloud. "When you went looking for Skoll yesterday, what happened?"

"He found us," Grunt answered. "He told us he needed to talk to Shay. Giger and I left and then I didn't hear anything from either of them, I didn't even see them afterwards."

The hovering car passed through the winding roads of Urdnot City, passing over the old temples and the lands of Weyrloc. The landscape shifted, the houses and buildings fading away into yellow sand and brown desert and further they went into the Old Plains.

"We have some time before we arrive," Grunt observed. "Call Skoll, see if we can get anything from him."

"If he's done anything..." she warned.

She called the old krogan and he was quick answer, though judging by his expression on the vid he seemed dissapointed to see the human. Faust judged his face for a moment, trying to find any hint of guilt or even sadness, but there was nothing other than dissapointment.

"Morning, Faust," he greeted. "Any reason you're calling me so early?"

"What the hell did you do to Shay?" she demanded. "What did you say?"

"Wait, what?" he said.

"Shay's gone home," Grunt told him. "She left a message for Faust, but she didn't say why and you was the last person to see her as far as we know."

"Why did she tell Faust and not me?" Skoll asked.

"Because you obviously upset her!" Faust accused. "Now tell me what you said... Or I swear I'll use every resource I have to make your life hell!"

Skoll knew she was serious, why he wasn't fully aware of who Faust was he did hear many things about her infamous Grim Reaper alter ego and knew not to get on her bad side. He wasn't too keen on sharing the information with her, not when things were at such a delicate stage and anything they do or say could ruin it, but they were on their way there and would find out sooner or later.

"Shay... is my daughter," Skoll announced.

"She never told me that," Faust said.

"That's because she only found out yesterday," Skoll answered.

"What?" Grunt gasped. "Why did she only find out yesterday?"

"When her mother gave birth I wasn't there, I didn't even know she was born until I returned to the clan and found out Königin was dead and Shay was now in the care of her god mother," Skoll explained. "I promised to return after I killed those responsible, but when I got back..."

"How long has it been since you even see her?" Grunt asked.

"I'd rather not count the days," Skoll admitted. "I should have done it sooner, I know that, but it seemed like the wrong time."

"It turns out yesterday was the wrong time," Faust remarked swiftly and cut the connection.

She sat back in her seat, folding her arms and pouting stubbornly. Grunt observed her carefully, more than a little surprised at her reaction. He could understand trying to defend a friend and help them in a time of need, but she had known Shay for only a few months.

Either she was the overly-attached type and desperately clung to her friends, or she took what friends she could get in this harsh world and refused to let go. He noticed her eyes redden as they began to brim with tears and she quickly turned away and shook her head, as if it would help somehow.

"You... okay?" he asked. "You seem a bit upset."

"A bit?" she snorted. "More than a bit..." She sighed and turned to him, seeming more in control of her emotions. "You must think I'm nuts. I've barely known Shay and I'm getting upset over her problems - but I get it, sort of. In fact, I'm sort of jealous."

"Jealous?" Grunt asked. "Why?"

"My father was a horrible man," she replied. "He was cruel to my mother and abusive to my sisters. In order to conceal my gender my mother named me George and raised me as a boy, he never hurt me because of that. I just wish I had a father like Skoll, I know he's been gone for years, but I'd rather a father who at least tried to fix things."

"By the way you was shouting at him I wouldn't think you was on Skoll's side," Grunt remarked.

"I just got aggitated," she shrugged. "Shay's been a good friend and the only one I really have... when someone you care for is in pain, you feel it. But you know about that already, don't you?"

She smirked deviously at him and he blushed.

"I don't know what you-"

"It's okay," she said. "Shay likes you too."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, she doesn't stop talking about you," she replied. "I suggest being careful, though, her clan didn't have any males so she doesn't really know how to talk with them, so I've been helping her but there's only so much I can do."

"I'll remember that," he said happily.

"One more thing," she added. "Now that you know... don't ever call me George."

"Or you'll send your 'resources' after me?" Grunt laughed.

"No," she smirked. "Giger just _really_ hates it when people call me George."

He grimaced slightly. If Giger had a temper as bad as himself, then he would rather not cross his tank-brother.

...

Soon they came to the barren land that held the Lotta-Signorina Clan and parked just outside the entrance. Stood before the large split in the ground were two guards dressed similary to Shay. They looked oddly at Grunt and he realized these were the females who had never left their clan, who had never seen a male.

Suddenly he felt very nervous.

Faust took the lead, sensing Grunt's aggitation, and knowing that it was likely he was the one Shay was more likely to listen to he needed to make sure he said the right thing. Shay wasn't going to be in the best of moods, he had to be careful what he said and how he said it if he wanted her to return to Urdnot.

"We're looking for Shay'kera," Faust informed the guards. "Will you allow us entrance to find her?"

"We cannot allow strangers in to our clan," one guard replied. "But we will send a message out for her. You will have to wait here."

Faust accepted this decision, clearly in no mood to fight over clan traditions and upset any more female krogan, and returned to Grunt's side. The second guard opened her Omni-tool and sent out a message, asking for Shay'kera to return to the surface.

"Will she even come?" Grunt asked. "If she's so upset she may not want to see anyone, not even us."

"As long as she thinks it's not Skoll she'll come," Faust replied. "At least, that's what I'm hoping for."

Some time passed, long minutes that dragged, before an hour passed. The guard sent the message out again, this time relaying a little more information, and after another few minutes Shay emerged from the cool darkness to stand in the hot and uncomfortable light.

She ran to Faust, embracing her friend in a hard squeeze that left the human blue in the face. She looked at Grunt as she let her friend go, an almost apologetic look in her eyes. Perhaps she did mean to tell Grunt, but how do you tell the krogan you may have feelings for that your leaving and may not return?

"Skoll told us what happened," Grunt told her.

"Y-yeah," Faust regained her breath. "Why'd you run away? Isn't knowing who your father is a good thing?"

"I... I don't know," Shay replied. "A part of me is relieved to know that I have a father and that he cares enough to want to get to know me, but another part is so pissed off! All these years and he didn't think to come sooner?"

"Did he tell you where he's been?" Faust asked.

"No," Shay said. "He told me I was his daughter and that he would explain everything, if he gave me the time, but I didn't stay to hear it. Did he tell you?"

"He did, but it's not our place to tell you," Grunt replied.

"Right, best to hear it from the varren's mouth," she agreed.

"I can't say I know what this is like," Grunt said, "because I don't really have parents. Okeer was the closest thing and he died before I even had a chance to know him. If I had the chance I'd want to get to know my creator, but I don't have that chance and you do. You don't have to forgive him for his absence, but at least take the time to talk to him and find out the truth. Maybe then you can decide whether you'll stay or go."

"I... want to go back," she told him. "I want to return to duty, but I don't think I can. Not right now."

"That's good enough for me," Faust smiled. "When you said you wasn't coming back..."

"I wrote my letter in haste," Shay replied. "I didn't think straight... but I will do as you suggested, Grunt. I'll talk with him, but I won't return until I'm... okay."

"I wouldn't want my best fighter not thinking straight," Grunt smiled. "I'll sort your leave, don't worry. Just... sort yourself and come back to us - to me."

Shay's complexion darkened and Faust wondered if she should leave the two alone, but there was no need. Neither of them revealed what they felt, no matter how obvious it was, not when one word could fracture Shay's already damaged psyche. She needed time and he was going to give it to her.

Even if he had to wait several weeks, months or years, he would wait for her to come back to him.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_A little late, I do apologize. I'd also like to respond to a review left by 'SufferingSoldier', as they left it anomously I can't reply directly so I'll do it through here. So, to you, Grunt didn't do 'a Dirty Dozen' by whipping the crew into shape, as doing so would have removed the whole point of this neutral need to keep Tuchanka and her people safe. If they refused, what would be the point in choosing them?_

_I've also never seen Dirty Dozen._

_Secondly, you will see the rest of the Normandy Crew very soon, I promise. Shepard and Garrus' time M.I.A will also be explained, as to why she went into hiding in the first place I did already explain it in a previous chapter._


	17. Shadows and Fears

**Chapter Seventeen: Shadows and Fears**

Viv stood in the darkness, on a circular blue disk, with a small terminal before her. She felt quite privileged to have been assigned to position of watch dog, she had her own office and her own resources and she no longer had to be on board on the ship to navigate it. Her new position meant she was everywhere and anywhere, and no one could trace her.

She reached for the terminal and activated it and the room around her suddenly became alight with the faint blue hum of screens, hundreds of news reports and feeds, her own data and research and the current condition of every city, ever colony, plastered on the screens around her.

Any mortal being would have failed to comprehend everything, to analyse each situation and calculate its worth, its risk, but thankfully being an AI had its advantages. She could observe every screen because she was a part of every screen. She saw it all and understood it all.

After all, how could she be worthy of calling herself the watch dog of Tuchanka if she couldn't handle a task as simple as this?

At first there was nothing but noise, endless streams of useless titbits of information that meant nothing to her, but then something broke through the wall of sound. It was sudden and seemed to silence all other reports, appearing before Viv like a tidal wave of misery.

Soon the other channels changed and the private channels became flooded with this sudden and worrying news. This was why they had a watch dog, someone to catch the dangers before they could strike again, but maybe this threat was too big _not _ too notice.

She muted the silence and brought up a new terminal, this one orange and showing the face of Tuchanka's forward thinking leader, Urdnot Wrex.

"What's the problem, Viv?" he asked.

"I can't be sure until I investigate further," she said. "But it seems the Collectors have returned."

...

Grunt normally wasn't the type to sulk, but there were the rare exceptions when he just wanted to stay inside and eat unhealthy junk. A more experienced krogan would have spotted the early signs of depression, a lonely krogan who said goodbye to a woman he loved without knowing when she was coming back.

He couldn't even call her to see how she was; the Lotta-Signorina Clan didn't have any outside communication except for one terminal that could only be used for emergencies. They wouldn't appreciate some sad krogan calling to check up on one female.

Thankfully there was someone who noticed the signs.

It had been about a week and a half since Shay'kera left, during her absence Steel had returned and had heard about Grunt's odd behaviour. He had picked up some ryncol and went to his apartment, casually letting himself in and found Grunt laid out on the bed in what could have been a drunken stupor, if Grunt had been a drinker.

No, it was more liked he simply passed out because there was nothing else to occupy his time. He went over to the bed and flipped it, flinging Grunt to the floor who landed with a hard and solid thud. He swore and kicked out, throwing the blanket and pillows.

"Who the hell..." he saw Steel and his fire dampened. He almost seemed glad to see him. "When did you get back?"

"The other day," Steel replied. "I heard you was having lady problems and came to check on you."

"I haven't had any 'lady' problems," Grunt argued. "I've just been..."

"You're sad and feeling a little lonely because the girl you care about has left you in order to clear her head," Steel retorted. "It's fine to feel down, just don't lock yourself up like some hermit. Get old and go somewhere, just don't fester in your juices."

"Ew."

Steel went into the kitchen and set down the ryncol bottle. Grunt got up and made his bed, then quickly threw on some more clothes on. He found Steel just as he left the kitchen and switched on the TV, skipping past commercials and cartoons until he found the news networks.

"I should say that being locked away for all this time is a good thing," Steel remarked. "You've missed a lot of the panic."

"What panic?" Grunt asked.

"Truth is, I didn't come back because my time on Rannoch was over," Steel explained. "Wrex called me back because Viv detected a disturbance a few days ago."

"Another assignment?" Grunt asked. "No problem. It'll give me the chance to get out of this apartment."

"We're... not sure if we are taking you," Steel replied.

"What?" Grunt exclaimed. "You can't leave me behind! You don't come to see me, to get me out of this pit I'm in, only to be tell me you're leaving me here!"

"I said we're not sure, but it's not a definite," Steel snapped. "Calm down and let me explain! If you had been watching the news you would know..."

"Okay, alright, I'm calm," Grunt said. "So what the hell has happened?"

"Two of our colonies have vanished," Steel replied. "They weren't too far from help, possibly a short ride to any station, but when communication suddenly ceased a small unit went to investigate and found all the colonists missing. No sign of a struggle and both colonies were attacked within a short space of time. However, these weren't _just_ krogan colonies. They were mixed race colonies set up as evac camps during the Reaper Invasion and then restored as permanent homes."

Grunt was silent for a long, uncomfortable moment. He understood why Steel had considered not taking him, not when something like this hit so close to home. The modus operandi of this terrorist was disturbingly similar to the Collectors, but how could that be possible?

The Collector's base had been destroyed in a raid he had participated in and the last retaliating Collector force had been wiped out during the Reaper Invasion, how could there be more out there? He couldn't even began to consider going up against them again, not after the last time.

Going through that relay and ending up in that horrible orange tinted wasteland of scrap and death sent his heart racing in a terrible torrent of fear. He had never admitted it to anyone, but the whole time he was scared. He knew it was a suicide mission, he just never considered the loss of life, until Jack died.

That's when he knew it was serious and that anyone was susceptible to the cold kiss of death, even the woman who claimed to be the most powerful biotic fell like a paper doll as the Collectors' weapons tore through the ship as if it was paper. He just thanked whatever deity there was that Garrus had managed to upgrade the ship's weapons. It gave them a fighting chance.

Inside the base he saw a human in a hive container, he thought the crew was safe and there was a small bulb of hope inside of him, and then the human's skin began to burn and peel away like flames stripping away at wallpaper. They managed to get the others out safely, but the image of that woman, helplessly trying to escape, leaving bloody marks as she banged her fists against her prison, would stay with Grunt forever.

A part of him was glad Shay was gone. He didn't want to take her on a raid of a Collector base and have her face the horrors of what was contained inside. But he couldn't get carried away. There was no guarantee this was a Collector attack, it could be something else, he wouldn't know until he had the full report.

"Sign me onto this mission," Grunt ordered. "I'm coming, even if I have to command you all from the side lines."

Steel smiled, "You forget I can't order you to stay, right?" he smirked. "I just recommended it. The only person who can stop you is Wrex. Or have you forgotten you're our leader?"

"Right..." Grunt smiled despite himself. "Maybe I should consider appointing a second-in-command."

"I recommend me," Steel suggested.

"Wouldn't that be favouritism?" Grunt responded.

"Only if I truly am your favourite brother," Steel retorted.

Grunt rolled his eyes. "Get whoever is available and arrange a meeting at Viv's," he ordered. "Get every bit of information you can, anything, and I'll be there in an hour."

"Yes, sir," Steel saluted and left the apartment, leaving Grunt to start to prepare for his first official meeting.

...

Viv's hub of information also served as Aralakh's Company base of operations. They had bounced about for a while, sometimes meeting in the military barracks or in the Senate, until Wrex and the other leaders had cleverly decided that keeping housing Viv and the team in the same place was like killing two pyjack's with one shot.

So Viv got her own base, which they all know referred to as the Hub, and the team got a place where they could go to hold meetings and, if need be, it was another safe house for the Senators. It had been built underground, about a mile from the city limits, and surrounded by thick walls and harsh security system that recognized different bio-signatures and AI readings to only allow the team in. If there was an emergency and someone took a Senator hostage to use them to get into the base and steal the information, the system would recognize the foreign being and shoot them accurately and cleanly without any harm to the hostage.

It was a clever, maybe even full proof system, designed entirely by Adria. Grunt had been surprised by Aria's programming skills, having only thought her skills extended to the tasks most Engineers are apt at and her ability to help run a healthy business, but he was more than pleased to have such an asset.

Grunt entered the Hub through an old house settled at the edge of the city, a guard house to the unsuspecting, and entered the empty shack. He went to a door at the back and a red light fell over him, it scanned him and a small device extended from the wall, pricking his finger and taking a drop of blood. A few moments later there was a ping. The door opened and he stepped inside.

It was dark and warm, but steadily grew colder as the small compartment shifted and went down. He stayed in the moving darkness until a minute later it stopped, the wall before him slid open, and he stepped out. He entered a large oval chamber that was normally dark, but today Viv had set up several large yellow panels that lit the room quite well.

There were chairs set up around a silver oval table, where most of his team now sat, including Viv who seemed quite comfortable with her fleshy and mortal companions. Grunt did a head count to see who was missing - everyone was here, everyone except Shay'kera.

He sat at the head of the table, feeling more important than he felt he was. He was almost surprised to see Aeacus, he was still on bad terms with most of the team, but not having Shay'kera there seemed to ease the misogynist.

"Alright, so why are we here?" Aeacus asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Adria asked. "We're here to figure out what to do about the vanishing colonies. Or have you not been paying attention to the world you live in?"

"I've heard about the vanishing colonies," Aeacus snarled. "But I also heard about a skirmish between our people and a few batarians on the Citadel, and a Blood Pack attack on a Shaman... There's a lot happening to consider one thing more important to the rest."

"The fact is the colonies are far more important than any other problem," Durak said quickly, jumping to Adria's defence. "The scuffle on the Citadel was because of an upset batarian who didn't want our help in rebuilding their nation, but the fight was between one batarian and a few others who didn't agree with him. Our people stopped the fight. As for the attack on the Shaman... well, I'd hardly call it an 'attack' considering how quickly it dissolved."

Aeacus glared at the young krogan, Steel stuck his arm out, interrupting his line of sight and Aeacus instantly backed down. Grunt sighed, seriously considering cutting Aeacus out of his team. Not now though, this was far too important to be interrupted by some idiot.

"What _do_ we know, Viv?" Grunt asked.

Viv pressed the air where a control panel appeared and fiddled with the controls for a moment, a second later a large diagram appeared in the centre of the table. It was a map, two colonies circled in red with a line connecting them. It highlighted the short distance between them. In the corner of the map was a list of missing species and how many had been taken.

"The first colony, Justinus, was attacked some time five days ago," Viv began. "Its people are mixed race, mostly consisting of batarians, humans, salarians and - surprisingly - vorcha. The second colony, Lensus, was attacked three days ago and its inhabitants are krogan, asari and turians."

"If they've been gone for so long how did we only recently notice their disappearance?" Giger asked.

"Both of the colonies security systems had been put on a loop, sending out status reports to nearby stations," Viv explained. "For some reason, though, the systems failed about two days ago and a unit was sent to investigate. They managed to piece together the footage before it had been shut down and managed to get a date of the attacks."

Grunt glanced around, noticing each look on his team's face. Some strained, some annoyed, some angered, but only one who thought they knew the answer. Grunt looked at Adria and she caught his eye, with a slight gesture of his head she told them what she had been thinking.

"This wasn't a Collector attack," she announced. "This was someone copying their style in order to incite panic."

"How can you be sure this isn't the Collectors?" Aeacus asked.

"For one thing it makes no sense," Adria explained. "The Collectors took specimens like left-handed salarians and batarian twins and, before they went extinct, the Collectors were interested in human biotics. They traded using rare varieties of a species. But there was nothing special about these colonists, right?"

"That is correct," Viv confirmed. "The colonies, as you may know, were originally refugee camps during the War, but now have become permanent homes. No one there is necessarily 'special' as they were all civilians. No twins. No oddities."

"Now consider that and the fact this person took everyone," Adria continued. "This isn't like when the human colonies were attacked, there was a Reaper involved then, but there isn't one now. These two individual colonies had members of almost every single race living there. They went after these colonies because it was easy access to nearly every single species."

"So if they're after every species, as you say, then all they need now is a quarian, a volus, oh and the hanar and drell," Aeacus said.

Adria touched the air and she had her own control panel. She extended the map until it filled their view and she highlighted several areas on the map, connecting them with a blue line.

"These mixed colonies aren't just important because of their members, but because of its location," she answered. "Just beyond Lensus is a quarian fleet that travels this part of space, then further on - but not too far - is a trading station between the volus, elcor and hanar."

"And if there are hanar there are bound to be a few drell who follow them as part of the Compact," Grunt added.

"Exactly!" Adria said. "This isn't a Collector - the methods are similar, but whoever is behind this is sloppy and predictable. If they do as I suspect, they'll attack the Fleet in maybe two or three days, as they seem to take breaks between each attack, possibly to avoid suspicion or allow security to relax to enable a quicker attack."

"But why are they doing this?" Skoll asked. "Is there any sense behind all this?"

"I can't be sure," Adria replied. "Combined the two colonies make up a total of only eleven thousand, which is just small enough to sell them off in groups as slaves to some more shady parts of space, but if they take the whole Fleet then that means their load changes from eleven to twenty-eight thousand, which is too high a number of sold slaves to not draw suspicion. I can't figure out why they want so many people."

"We won't know until we find the ones responsible," Grunt responded. "So this is the plan - half of us will go to the quarian fleet that is - _possibly_ - the next target. The rest of us will remain close, but primarily act as back-up, in case the others are captured we can find them."

"Simple enough," Giger said.

Grunt frowned at him, "Don't you say that," he said. "I hate that word - 'simple'. Nothing's simple. And no, it's not going to be simple. The enemy has technology that allows them to paralyze their victims and shut down communication, and don't forget we have to get on the quarian vessel without causing a stir. That's why -" he turned to Adria. "- I've decided to keep you here, Adria, because you're more than capable of managing everything."

"W-what?" she gasped. "Really? But I'm..."

"You will command both teams alongside me," Grunt ordered. "We don't have much time so you need to get us on the target vessel quietly, without causing any alarm to our attacker, and then ensure if Team A is captured we don't lose track of them."

"Y-yes, sir," she bowed her head, hiding her pleased expression.

Aeacus mumbled something soul and Durak shot him glare. He didn't see why he had to obey the commands of a woman, they weren't capable enough to handle such a momentous task. Surely Grunt should have handed the position to him, someone who had helped lead a small unit in the Batarian Raid and had more battle experience.

Grunt didn't want to look at Aeacus, he was a minor concern in the grand scheme of things. He had to focus his attention on ensuring he saved those already taken, he had to make sure he didn't lose half his team, and that his judgement in choosing Adria was right.

More importantly, he couldn't let the cold droplets of fear he felt on his brow stop him from doing what was right. He wouldn't let the Collectors stop him, he wasn't going to let his fear overcome him like a smothering cloud of doubt and pity.

...

Passing through the long corridors of the Migrant Fleet's Sazora vessel, Team A blended in despite being very different to the inhabitants of the quarian members. Durak, Skoll and Giger were small enough to not upset the crew and easily be thought of as traders as the Sazora prepared to break away from the Fleet and continue on its own journey.

Team B fell back to the volus-elcor-hanar trading station. They had been given their own room within the large station, one of the many rooms that served as private business rooms, and quickly set up everything so it was as good a temporary base as any.

Adria seemed comfortable staying on Tuchanka with Viv as company, she seemed more in her element than she ever had been. Even in comparison to when she was on Illium, showing off her business prowess, there had almost been this sadness, like her skills weren't in proper use.

Steel and Wróg monitored the Sazora's current position, it had been drifting slightly off from the rest of the Migrant Fleet, but this was now a common occurrence as more and more quarians returned to Rannoch. While the rest of the Fleet carried on, the Sazora slowed almost to a halt, possibly due to a change in coordinates and those old vessels needed time to recalibrate.

Aeacus remained outside, guarding the entrance like the good varren he was. Grunt could tell Steel and Wróg were glad to be rid of him, even if it was for a few moments. He had not been doing himself any favours lately. His attitude had rubbed everyone the wrong way.

"How are Team A looking, Adria?" Grunt asked.

"The Sazora's stand still is due to a minor malfunction," she responded. "While there isn't anything to suggest sabotage, Team A are well prepared for an attack."

"Keep an eye on that," Grunt ordered. "Anything 'minor' is just a cover for something far worse."

"Optimistic, aren't you?" Steel chuckled.

Grunt said nothing, just gave him a wayward glance.

Something felt strange, deep in the pit of his stomach, like something was wrong. Of course, there _was_ something terribly wrong considering his assignment, but he felt like there was something else wrong. He couldn't figure out what it was, almost like they were falling into a trap.

Throwing his men into the front line, right into the enemy's sights, was dangerous and he knew that. He was hoping they would be taken so he could track them, but why did he still this dread? They were skilled enough not to be killed, smart enough to not enrage the enemy, but what was this feeling like something thick and black on his soul?

"Are you alright?" Adria asked. "You seem unwell... perhaps you should lie down, let Steel take over until your better."

"No," he said. "I'm fine."

"You don't think the enemy is actually a Collector, do you?" she asked. "If you do, that's fine, I can understand your... trepidations."

"It's _not_ a Collector," Grunt said, more to himself than to her. "If it was... I would never have let them go... where they could see..."

He shook his head. "How are they?" he asked. "Any signs of unusual activity?"

"Not yet..." she glanced at a screen and her eyes stuck there, turning from disconcern to quiet horror. "Oh..."

"Oh?" Grunt said. "What do you mean, oh? What's wrong?"

"The Sazora is under attack!" Adria answered. "The enemy ship appeared out of nowhere! I don't-"

His terminal suddenly closed and the entire station was plunged into darkness. Wróg gasped loudly in surprise, Steel giggled at his reaction. They heard Aeacus bang at the door, unable to get in without the power to open to the door and they heard the loud mumuring of concerned drell and annoyed volus.

Grunt tried to reboot the system, tried to find out what was happening to his team mates, to his friends. He kicked the contraption and fired up his Omni-tool, it fizzled with interference and whined painfully, but it was a good sign. It meant his Omni-tool still sort of worked, which meant the enemy's technology couldn't quite reach such personal equipment.

He intercepted an incoming call and his screen lit up with Giger's face. Behind him were panicking quarians, running and screaming and dragging loved ones. There was the sound of gun fire and someone barking orders, it sounded like Skoll had taken control of the situation.

"Giger, what's happening?" Grunt demanded. "Who's attacking you?"

The image broke, the interference causing the image to fade and bend and the audio to fade in and out. "... swarms!" he gasped. "The enemy ship... some pulse... the quarians are heading to the emergency... Seeker Swarms!"

And then he was gone and that word reverberated around Grunt's skull like a trapped wasp in a jar. SeeKer Swarms? Impossible! How could the Swarms be attacking the Sazora? The Seeker Swarms were only used by... by...

Grunt almost fell down, as if his legs couldn't take it. He gripped the terminal's station to steady himself.

"What's wrong?" Steel asked. "What did Giger say? Who's attacked them?"

Grunt didn't respond.

Steel grabbed him and forced him to turn and face them. "Who is attacking us?"

Grunt opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know if he could, but something about having Steel there steeled his resolve and he managed to utter those dreaded words.

"The Collectors."

_To Be Continued..._


	18. Belly of the Beast

**Chapter Eighteen: Belly of the Beast**

Giger's vision returned slowly, like a flickering light in a dark room, everything came back like a watermarked photograph. He saw the flickering of red and yellow in the distant as tall towers of shadow passed over him. The edge of his vision darkened, blurring everything else, but then there was a flash of light and suddenly everything was clear.

The shadows took shape and he saw they were feet, scrawny quarian feet that rushed past him and the red and yellow in the distant was a fire that had begun to eat away at the corridor's thick walls. He heard screaming then, loud and piercing, and he wondered why he couldn't get up.

He felt something on his face, scrawling over him, and he managed to make out... _something_. It looked like an insect, but he couldn't be sure as its hide was bright and shiny, like metal. It looked like a Seeker Swarm, but he remembered being told they were light brown in colour.

Wait - _shit!_ - if that thing is a Seeker Swarm then he was paralyzed. Could he even talk? He tried, struggled to open his mouth, and gave up. He couldn't move, couldn't call for help. Things had fallen apart so quickly, he never imagined they would be so unprepared.

The shadows faded as the last of the quarians left and for a long time there was just the flickering of the flames, which had by then activated the sprinklers which now pelted the raging flame with droplets of water. At least he wasn't going to burn to death.

He heard a voice, faint at first, and Giger realized his Omni-tool was still receiving calls. It was Grunt he could hear, calling to him, demanding to know what was wrong. If Giger could move he would tell his brother what was wrong and he would ask to know where Durak and Skoll had gone.

"Giger! ...on, answer! Gi..."

_Damn it!_ he scowled. _Move! Stupid body, we've got to go!_

"Giger!"

The fall of water suddenly stopped and a shadow fell over him. The Seeker moved over his face and flew away, landing on the shoulder of the figure that stood over him. Giger wished he could move, he wished he could fight back, but there was nothing he could do as he was taken by the collector.

...

Grunt stood in silence in the dark, outside the office there was the loud chatter of engineers as they tried to get the systems back on. Wróg turned to Steel, faintly making out his figure in the orange glow of Grunt's Omni-tool. Outside Aeacus waited for any news.

Wróg wasn't sure what to say, there were no words of comfort to offer them, but something had to be said to the brother's. Soldiers go to battle knowing there is a chance that they may never see family again, but few actually heard the moment they lost their loved ones.

"Grunt-"

The lights suddenly came on, so bright and blinding Wróg actually staggered back. Outside a hush fell over the business men, before the quiet chattering returned. Aeacus entered the room. He saw Grunt's dark expression and knew instantly something was wrong. The terminal came back on and Adria's face came into view.

She seemed upset but she was trying to keep control of herself, trying to be the brave krogan who had handled things so well on Illium in what seemed like a life time ago.

Aeacus stormed over to the terminal, pushing Grunt aside. "What the hell happened?" he demanded. "Where did our men go? What have you done?"

"Me?" she cried. "I didn't do anything!"

"Exactly!" he said. "You did nothing, you didn't prepare enough and now we have lost three of our team mates and Void knows how many quarians!"

"I... I didn't..." her face scrunched up painfully as she tried not to cry. "We are not fighting the Collectors! We are fighting a copy-cat! How was I to know this copy-cat perfectly mimicked the Collectors down to the Seeker Swarms?"

"Not the Collectors?" Aeacus questioned. "This is just like the Collectors!"

"But it's not-" she began.

"It is."

The voice instantly silenced them and they all turned to Grunt. He stood still and emotionless, like a statue, but his lips moved like a puppet who wasn't aware of his actions. Steel took a step forwards, placing a hand on his commander's shoulder. Grunt didn't seem to notice.

"Giger said it was the Collectors," Grunt added. "We're fighting the Collectors."

"Then we don't have much time," Adria said. "The station has returned to its original function because the Collector ship has moved, it's preparing to move its catch while it readies itself for another attack. I can track them and we can attack them."

"What?" Steel said. "But there's only four of us! Shepard barely managed to get out of the Collector base with more than twice our numbers!"

"I still don't believe this is the Collectors," Adria replied. "You have to trust me, I can get everyone out."

"Right, trust _you_," Aeacus sneered.

"Grunt, please, you know I can do this," she said, ignoring Aeacus.

Grunt was silent; he just stared into space as images of a woman screaming in a tiny chamber came to mind. He remembered her skin turning red and flaking, the muscle bursting free before burning up in a terribly bubbling mess accompanied by her shrieks of pain as she tried to escape her death chamber.

Adria didn't say it, but Grunt knew what she was thinking. Grunt couldn't lead them into the Collector's base, not when he was so afraid of watching his team mates burn up like that woman or die, alone, in an explosion like Jack did.

But she understood, she didn't judge him for this mental obstacle. She just knew they had to work around it. If she didn't believe this was an Collector attack, if she had hope it was something else, then perhaps with her clear head she was better off leading them.

"Alright, Adria," he said. "You'll lead this attack."

"What?" Aeacus gasped. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," he replied. "And if you don't agree with my decisions then you can stay here!"

Aeacus' hands curled into fists and he raised his head higher, but he didn't fight back and he didn't argue. Wróg saw the clear coward in him, he would fight a woman and raise a hand to a woman - as he had to Shay - but when it came to standing up to a man he would back down instantly.

"Now that our little problem is sorted," Grunt said, "what's the plan, Adria?"

...

Giger woke up only to find a bright light in his face. He stared at it for some time, feeling it burn his vision, as he tried to figure out where he was. Was he on the enemy's ship? He glanced around and saw he was strapped to a table and placed in a triangular shape, with two more tables angled beside him, one holding Durak and the other Skoll.

He appeared to be in some kind of medical station, the floors clean and silver and the walls polished. A table of tools was set up in the middle of the triangle, each sharp little blade perfect and clean, nothing like Giger had imagined as he was dragged to this foreign vessel. He expected blood soaked walls and floors and rusty blades.

Giger turned to his team mates and tried to speak, when a sharp pain ran across his face. It was like... like his lips had been shown shut. He screamed a muffled cry and tried to move, shaking the entire table. Skoll glanced over at Giger, wishing he could somehow break whatever kept his lips shut.

The door to the room opened and Giger instantly stopped. He watched the figure cross the room and pass between them. He stopped at the small table, picking up some horrible-looking hacksaw and a smaller pen-like laser. He looked at each of his victims, before his eyes settled on young Durak, who squirmed under his hard gaze.

"You'll be last," he said. "You're younger and more inclined to die from shock and pain. I'll need to practise on these other two first. I've never had krogan before."

Giger glared at him and began to fight again, pulling at his biotic restraints and trying to tear his lips apart. The others watched, Skoll and Durak in quiet horror while the hack-saw wielding monster watched in clear fascination as Giger struggled.

"I imagine this must be even more terrifying to you, Okeer subject," he said. "You've known all your life what you are, where you came from, and what the implications of your creation are. Now you're on the chopping block with images of butchered krogan in your head, imagining your body parts being recycled and given to someone else."

Giger ignored him, feeling the fabric woven into his thick skin began to strain and blood filled his mouth. The butcher smiled. Giger's lips came apart with the worst sound imaginable - a krogan howling in pain.

...

Whizzing across the darkness of space Aralakh Company's ship, designated the 'Wrath of Our People' after their previous base of operations, the vessel had been fixed up after its crash landing at the hands of the batarian rebels and was now even better than before.

The team suited up, putting on the off-red armour that had already saved Grunt and Steel's life. From the disk at the front of the ship Viv's holographic image could be seen, though she was in fact with Adria a copy of her remained on the ship that allowed for navigation and communication.

"Are you sure about this?" Steel asked the terminal where Adria watched everything expectantly. "I trust your judgement, I truly do, but what if this _is_ a Collector ship we're heading to?"

"Using the tracer's placed on our men on-board the ship I've managed to run a scan of its interior," Adria replied. "I've only managed to get about 60% of the ship, but it was enough to get a schematic from another ship that is pretty much a match."

"You can't be sure you know what kind of ship it is," Aeacus replied. "You've only scanned 60%, remember?"

"You're right, I can't be sure," she said. "But from the 60% of the ship I've scanned I know - for certain - that they are not on a Collector vessel! It's a standard cruiser and if I'm right, it's a decommissioned turian-standard cruiser."

Grunt perked up at the sound of that, but Aeacus was quick answer.

"They've almost been wiped out twice, would it be any surprise they want to lay-low?" he asked.

"Lay-low in such a tiny vessel?" she retorted. "I know a cruiser is not small, but the Collectors work in large ships that can properly house them and their victims. But this same ship was at the colonies and it hasn't made any other stops because it hasn't been seen elsewhere."

"We won't know until we get in there," Steel replied. "Now is everything ready?"

"Yes," Adria replied. "The cruiser has moved back to a safe location, near the edge of this system. It's stationary and cloaked, but Viv can handle that."

The vessel shot through space like a released arrow, flying over planets and passed stations as it headed to the enemy vessel at full speed. Grunt waited patiently, though he tapped his foot insistently. He glanced at Steel, searching for any kind of worry in his features, but there was nothing other than the clenched jaw.

They neared the edge of the system and Viv activated the cloaking device, the ship disappearing in a slight shimmer of blue. The ship slowed instantly and gently crept forwards. Everyone readied, putting on helmets and loading up their weapons.

"Get ready," Viv ordered. "Once the vessel is in sight you have ten minutes to get in through a small docking port. From there I'll guide you."

They said nothing, just obeyed.

Viv did something, powered up some device, and with a loud clap and flash of light the cruiser appeared. It was just as Adria had said, a standard turian-cruiser that had been decommissioned a decade earlier. It was old but with new technology, something that would have been frowned at but ignored if past.

Adria was right. This wasn't a Collector, so who the hell was attacking colonies?

...

He glanced up at the ceiling as his ship suddenly went dark and the lights came back on. He may have been worried, but it was hard to tell with his face. He put down his bloodied knife, annoyed to be interrupted after he had just managed to finally cut beneath Skoll's chest plate.

Plates were tough, he found stabbing at them was pointless. To remove them, he had to cut around them, severing the little nerve endings before removing the plate and exposing the soft flesh. It had taken much hacking and stabbing before he realized that, but he wasn't a doctor, so his course methods could be excused.

"Stay right there," he said. "I have to see to this."

He left, disappearing through the sliding doors. Giger looked over to Skoll, his expression was tight and pinched, like he was desperately trying to hold his pain in. He couldn't see the injuries done to his companion, only the wayward drops of blood that had hit his face. He hadn't cut out the plates yet, but it was just a matter of time.

"Damn it," Giger growled. "We've got to get out of here."

His lips hadn't been sown back up, his captor found Giger's cries of protest soothing. Giger pushed against his restraints, but there was nothing he could do against the biotic power holding him down. Nothing he could do, but maybe...

"Durak!" he called. "Tilt your head my way if you're awake!"

Durak did just this, and Giger was thankful Durak hadn't fainted at the sight of Skoll's wounds, being the closest and with the better angle to witness it all.

"If you created your own biotic field would it somehow cancel out the field holding you?" Giger asked. "Nod for yes."

He nodded.

"Good, then try it," Giger said. "Chances are that lapse of power is our guys coming for us and I'd rather not be strapped down helpless, waiting to be rescued."

Giger couldn't quite see Durak's hands, but he saw a bright light as Durak forced all of his power into his hands and tried to burst the field keeping him down. There was a loud noise, something like an electrical buzz, but angry. There was a bright flash and a loud noise, like an explosion, and Durak jumped off the table.

He ran to Skoll, destroying the biotic hold before moving onto Giger and freeing him. Durak ran to Skoll, to check the old krogan's wounds, while Giger picked a small surgical knife and cut away the thick string keeping Skoll and Durak's.

Skoll's wounds were bad and possibly even immobilizing. That monster had stabbed at his plates and flesh in a mad dash to split him open, and in doing so had cut deeply. Skoll was losing a lot of blood and he had lost much already, perhaps too much to consider moving him.

"Where are our weapons?" Durak asked. "And our armour? I feel exposed wearing nothing but these trousers!"

Most soldiers generally wore some sort of soft fitting clothing beneath armour, though appearantly vorcha didn't do this. Thankfully all of them had been wearing trousers, otherwise if there had been an opening to a male's most soft spot then this whole thing would have gone very different, horribly different.

"He took them someplace where we can't find them, obviously," Giger replied. "He's not stupid!"

"So what do we do?" Durak asked.

Durak trembled slightly, his hands balled up into fists to hide the quivering of his hands. Giger wanted to send Durak out there to try and locate some weapons, something to assist them, but he was far too scared. Giger couldn't leave either, he knew how to handle deadly wounds.

Absentmindedly he touched the thick scar running across his throat. Durak noticed the gesture and he felt his heart fell. He had to go, there was no option. Giger could save Skoll's life and the only one with a biotic shield, Durak could protect himself from the Seeker Swarms, as he should have done back on the Sazora.

"Stay here and help Skoll," Durak ordered. "I'm going to find that thing's main control console."

"How will finding the console help?" Giger asked.

"Those Swarms we encountered were forgeries," Durak explained. "You saw it too, right? They were the wrong colour and were actually machines, the original Swarms are biological and mechanical in origin. If I can find the hive mind I can shut them down."

"Clever boy," Giger said. "Good, go!"

Durak left, a blue sphere of energy appearing around him as he descended into the unknown. Giger turned to Skoll, who had been quiet this whole time. He was still conscious, which was assuring. Giger looked around at all the equipment, seeing what he had to work with before he prepared to stitch back up his friend.

...

Entering the ship Aralakh Company headed down the long and clean corridors at a steady pace, searching out enemies or targets in the light. Aeacus walked in the centre of the group, doing his best to keep up the biotic shield. It was still a possibility Swarms would be sent after them and Grunt remembered this handy little trick from Samara.

They followed the signal, heading deeper into the ship, and came to a large open space that seemed to be an old storage facility. Metal crates and cylinders filled the room, each one labelled with a name and a date. Grunt examined one crate and he felt sick.

"What does it say?" Wrog asked.

Grunt read: "Quarian eyes. Subjects aged 3-15."

"Wait... these crates and cylinders are filled with _body parts?_" Steel said.

Grunt just nodded.

"That seems a lot like something a Collector would do," Aeacus remarked.

"Again with the Collectors?" Steel sighed. "This isn't the Collectors, this is-"

A terminal appeared at the front of the chamber, right above the exit, and on the screen was a face that was definitely not a Collector. It was something none of them had seen before, but something they had heard of. Grunt remembered Shepard's story of the Shadow Broker and he knew instantly what he was dealing with.

On screen was a yahg, a huge and wide monster with a mouth of dozen tiny teeth and deep, black eyes as thick as the night. This yahg had skin that was a strange off-yellow colour that almost gave the illusion that he was sick.

"Thank you for interrupting my session," he said, "for you've willingly given me more subjects. Unfortunately, judging by your shield, the Swarms won't work, so I'm going to have to hope you're not too badly damaged. My customers would be displeased."

The doors beneath the terminals opened and mechs descended on them. LOKI mechs flooded the room and fired, the shots bounced off Aeacus' shield but he couldn't hold it for long and the second he dropped it the Seeker Swarms would descend.

"Get to cover!" Grunt roared. "Aeacus, keep up the shield!"

They readily obeyed, jumping behind cover, but remaining close, as they fired upon the mechs. Robotic heads exploded and arms flew, but they still came. Above small compartments opened and Grunt saw the Seekers descend, waiting patiently for their opening.

Steel ducked behind cover, reloaded his weapon and then turned around the corner and fired. More mechs fell, more mechs came. Aeacus swore, his arms beginning to tremble from the strain. Grunt could have ordered a switch, but would he be fast enough to put up a shield?

Damn it.

Steel switched between ammo and fired an incendiary round, as the ground exploded beneath the feet of the mechs and engulfed them in hot flames, Wróg fired a biotic ball of energy and knocked them all back. Aeacus grunted from the exertion. Grunt put down his weapons and threw up his hands, strengthening the barrier with his own potent mix of power.

Aeacus let him take over and almost collapsing, using the cover to keep him upright. The Seekers hovered, waiting, and the yahg watched.

"How many mechs does this guy have?" Wróg cried.

"Too many!" Steel responded.

"Keep going!" Grunt ordered. "They've got to lessen eventually!"

Aeacus peeked over the cover and watched as the mechs began to fill the room, stepping over their melted and broken companions in a slow walk to exterminate the enemy. He swore. This was all Adria's fault, that woman and her stupid plans! They were going to need a miracle if they were going to get to safety.

The mechs stopped, suddenly, and they prepared for an attack, when the Seekers fell from the sky and hit the ground and the mechs slumped over and fell. The yahg stared in silence at his fallen soldiers, his face somehow managing to express shock.

Grunt hesitantly lowered the shield and he ordered his men forwards. The terminal went offline.

...

He ran for the escape pod, deciding to cut his losses before he was captured. All those credits, all gone, it hurt him to even begin to count all the lost credits. He would have been sorted, all those medical bills would have been gone, and he could have fixed himself.

He would just have to start over. Yes, that was easy enough, just get another ship and start over. Of course, he would be thrown further into debt and this particular ship and security measures had cost him far too much as it was, but it would be fine.

He would just explain what had happened, tell them he would get them their money if he just had a little more time. Just a little more time...

Something caught his ankle and he was thrown into the wall. He tasted blood and spat out some teeth, and he was thrown into the other wall and then was slammed into the ground. He tried to stand but was fixed into place. A figure appeared beside him, a krogan he recognized.

"No more running," Durak growled. "You're going to pay for what you've done."

...

_Tuchanka, Urdnot City_

Grunt sat with Skoll in the Shepard Memorial Hospital, the old krogan insisting he could leave but the nurse argued he should stay. They had been back for about a day and a half, after capturing the yahg and calling for assistance, a large crew arrived - some from the quarian government and some from human and turian - and took the various bits of remains back to their own ships to identify the missing bodies.

In one of the lower levels they had found some survivors, those who had been picked last to face the cutting board or who had simply been ignored in return for someone else. Most of them were quarian, being the freshest victims. In the end the total of survivors were numbered at six thousand.

Giger had managed to save Skoll's life by stitching up the wounds and transferring some of his own blood to stabilize him, thankfully no internal organs had been damaged. The nurse still argued that he should remain in the hospital just until they were certain he would be fine, there was no denying there was some sort of psychological damage and that needed seeing too.

"Just stay here," Grunt said. "They can't keep you much longer and it's best to get fully checked out."

"Hmm, fine," he huffed.

The nurse smiled thankfully and left.

"I better get going too," Grunt said. "I still have a mission report to file."

"Before you go, can I ask what happened to the yahg?" Skoll asked. "Why was he kidnapping all those people and where'd he get those Seeker copy-cats?"

"The yahg's stuck between governments at the moment," Grunt replied. "His species isn't part of Citadel Law and they don't have any kind of government, so everyone's arguing about what to do with him and where he should go. As for why..."

Grunt sighed and looked to his friend, his gaze falling to the fresh and pink wounds that seemed so bright they almost burned. Would Skoll care to hear the reason a yahg tried to butcher him? There was no justifying what it had done, but perhaps he still cared to know the reason.

"He was sick with something that only infects his kind. He came to Citadel space searching for someone who could cure him and he found one, but he couldn't afford to pay him. He got into debt purchasing his ship and the Seeker copies from some gang and began to kidnap people in order to sell body parts to pay off his medical bills and his debts."

"I bet you were glad they weren't Collectors," Skoll smirked.

Grunt smiled weakly in response and waved him goodbye as he left. He headed back to his apartment, passing his doormen, who smiled warmly and said there was someone waiting for him in the lobby. He frowned, not expecting any visitors.

He went to the lobby, a small area just as you entered the apartments that was filled with plants and comfy chairs. He searched the lobby in hope of a familiar face and among the small crowd he saw her, standing by a chair, and smiling.

Shay'kera.

_To Be Continued..._


	19. CONTrACT

**Chapter Nineteen: CONTrACT  
**

Grunt stood there for a moment, considering whether the image before him was actually Shay'kera or if he was imagining her. He half expected the image before him to fade as he woke up to find the whole day had been a weird dream, but when Shay smiled that awkward half-smile he realized it was really her.

"You came back," he said dumbly. "When?"

"Last night," she replied. "I was going to see you first, but I had heard what happened to Skoll and the others... I thought you needed space to get over what happened."

"Don't worry about me," he said. "I've handled it as well as I can. It's Skoll's whose hurt more than anyone else."

"I heard," she said sadly. "I'm going to see him tomorrow, to make sure he's okay and... _talk_."

"So are you okay now?" he asked. "Have you sorted your thoughts?"

"Not quite yet," she replied. "I spent all my time thinking about Skoll and what he said, I needed to know if it was true so I asked Signorina and it was. He went to get revenge and I grew up. He didn't know if he could just return."

"Then why did he decide now was a good time?" he asked.

Shay glanced around. The lobby was fairly quiet, but it was clear she was uncomfortable to talk about her situation in such a public place. He offered if she would like to go to his apartment, and after a moment she accepted his offer and followed him up.

He offered her a drink, but she turned it down and took a seat. He joined her, sitting across from her as to not cross any kind of physical boundary she may have set up. It was hard to tell if she was feeling better, or worse, but he knew that people still needed space when upset.

She took a moment, gathering her thoughts, before answering his earlier question.

"I think Skoll decided now was a good time because... well," she sighed. "I am his daughter and to have that knowledge, to have to serve alongside me and treat me like a stranger..."

"It couldn't have been easy," Grunt agreed. "But still, to wait so long..."

"How long before Shepard started treating you differently?" she retorted.

"That's... different," he argued.

"Why? Because you're not flesh and blood?" she asked. "What difference does that make? Shepard cares for you like a son and you can't say you feel any different. You love Shepard because she is your mother, your adoptive mother, and if suddenly she was gone and you saw her years later, but couldn't speak to her for whatever reason, how would you feel?"

Grunt was silent for a long moment and she saw she had won the argument. Of course Grunt loved Shepard, but he wasn't going to admit it aloud, not even to himself. If Shepard did leave him and he found find her, but couldn't speak to her because for whatever mistake he had made, how long before he cracked and just had to speak to her?

And really, what was the difference between Shepard's disappearance act and Skoll's secret heritage? Shepard had been gone for so long and she didn't call Grunt once, because she was afraid of how he would react to his once strong and courageous leader reduced to a cripple. She wanted him to remember her as she wanted to be remembered - as a leader who could walk on her own two feet.

He had been mad but he forgave her for her mistakes, and just like Shepard, Skoll had made mistakes. Maybe choosing revenge was the wrong thing, maybe it was right, maybe he should have come back sooner or maybe it was better he waited for when she was mature enough to handle the sudden revelation.

Whatever the reasoning behind it all, Skoll had admitted the truth and now it was her turn to consider her future. Her father was there for her now and with time _maybe_ they could actually be a father and daughter, if she just gave him the chance.

"I guess by your visiting him tomorrow means you want to make it work?" Grunt said.

"He is still my dad," she replied, "whether I call him by that title or not. And he knew my mother better than anyone; I'd like to know about her from the person who knew her best."

Grunt smiled, "That's good."

Shay looked as if she wanted to say something else, and he sat there, expectantly. She fussed, straightening the fabric of her robes and he wondered why she was more nervous about telling him this than revealing her feelings about Skoll. She still didn't wear a veil around her face, which made it even worse as he could see every uncomfortable expression.

"What is it?" he asked. "Is there... something else?"

"I didn't just think about Skoll while I was gone," she said. "I thought about you."

"Me?"

"Well, us."

"There's an us?"

"I want there to be."

"Shay..."

She turned away from him. "I get it," she said. "It's weird. I come to talk about my dad and I end up talking about you."

"It's not weird," he assured her, "because when you left I... missed you. I wanted you to come back so we could talk about us, but you beat me to it."

"So you'd want to?" she asked. "_Go out_, as the humans say."

"You make it sound so awkward," he laughed. "Don't worry," - he took her hands - "we'll take it slow. Like, we'll approach it like any mission, with caution and the preparation required for any dangers."

"Like a contract, almost?" she said. "A temporary agreement that terminates if neither of us are happy."

"Yeah, but not so informal," he agreed.

"Alright then," she smiled. "How do we start?"

"Um... dinner, I guess?" he said.

Her smile widened, turning the warrior's features into something almost feminine and she squeezed his hands. He returned the smile, almost subconsciously, as if giving back her love was second nature.

"Dinner sounds good."

...

_The Next Morning_

Skoll peeked around the corner of his room, watching as the nurse turned a corner and dissapeared. He returned to his bed, grabbing his bag and stuffing his clothes inside. He was ready to leave, no matter what the nurses said. He had lived through worse and would probably face worse in the future.

It was just the way of the world.

There was a knock at the door and he froze, expecting a nurse to scold him and drag him down to the psychiatrist's office and force him to listen to the boring pyjack talk and talk and ask Skoll about his past, his relationships, his -

"Skoll?"

He turned to the open door and secretly hoped it had been a nurse there. He had always wondered what he would do if Shay'kera came back, and standing there dumbly and staring is not what he had intended to do. He smiled weakly, not sure how else to respond in this awkward moment.

"I would have preferred to be called dad," he chuckled weakly.

She didn't even smirk.

"Too soon?" he grimaced.

"Too soon," she said.

"Thanks," he said, "for coming to see me. I didn't think you'd come back to Urdnot City and even if you did, you wouldn't want to see me."

"If I'm honest, I wasn't going to come see you," she told him. "But I was gone for a long time and it gave me a lot of time to think. The more I thought about what you did, the more I realized - I would have done the same, if not so... hastily."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If someone had killed my partner or a good friend then I would have wanted revenge, but I wouldn't have left what family I had behind. I would have stayed in contact or did whatever I could that kept them safe and allowed me vengeance."

"Well, I'm not as smart as you and never would have considered that. The brains you get from your mother."

"Was she really smart?"

"Yes, actually. She picked the location of her clan, she knew the advantages of being hidden, and she knew who exactly to invite to join our forces and who to avoid. If she hadn't died..."

"It always annoyed me that Signorina changed the clan's name. I love her like an aunt, but-"

"It's not her clan," Skoll agreed. "It never was. She has done an excellent job of taking command, but changing the name of the clan feels like Königin is being wiped from existence."

She nodded in agreement and was glad they had something in common.

"So did you come to talk?" he asked.

"I did," she replied. "As I said, while I was gone I considered your situation and while I haven't forgiven you, I want to... I want a father/daughter relationship."

"It'll take time."

"I know."

"And you're certain you want an old varren like me in your life?"

"To not include you would be cruel, to both of us."

Skoll smiled, "Alright then," he said. "If this is going to be work we need to be open. What do you want to know?"

From outside the room Grunt stood, a small smile playing at his lips. He had come merely as a favour, to make sure things ran smoothly and that Shay didn't get into any fights, thankfully things had gone well as he had expected. Shay was a good talker, perhaps in another life she would have been a politician.

He glanced in and saw Shay and Skoll sat on the bed, talking about the day Skoll had met Königin. She spotted Grunt and smiled, and he saw it as the signal to leave. He was not needed now and he left the hospital with fond memories of last night's dinner, and decided when he got home he was going to phone Shepard.

_To Be Continued..._


	20. Memorial Daydreams

**Chapter Twenty: Memorial Daydreams**

_Tuchanka, Urdnot City, The Centre of Prescribed Veteran Care_

The definition of a psychologist, according to a certain krogan text, was - 'A person trained and educated to perform psychological research, testing, and therapy'. Isandro had by now learnt what it was like to be around psychologists, he had lost count of all the different doctors he had spoken to since being taken into the C.P.V.C's care.

It had been some time since he had been placed in the hospital under the orders of the Council and he had made progress, a very nice salarian doctor had broken through to find the issues that had been walled up inside a hard shell of denial and expectation.

In fact, he should have been released some time ago, considering it had only taken them four months to crack him. He wasn't deemed a danger, as one doctor had put it to the Council; he was just a child who had been indoctrinated from an early age to believe a truth he himself was not entirely sure of.

He could re-join society, that is, if Isandro actually wanted to leave. His favourite doctor, the salarian who had helped him so much, was Doctor Nayran, an expert in behaviourism and the link between trauma and behaviour. He knew Isandro was determined to stay in order to help others and so Nayran hired him, as an assistant.

Isandro himself was not allowed to handle patients one-on-one, he would join Nayran during sessions if it was within the patient's best interest, and he would help take notes. He was slowly learning the ropes, even after so many months since then.

That warm morning he had been given the day off and he was visiting Krill. He had continued to see Isandro throughout his therapy sessions and now that he was a productive member of society, even if Wróg didn't entirely approve and was always certain to keep an eye on Isandro whenever he visited.

But today Wróg wasn't there. He and the rest of Aralakh Company were on Earth. It had been over a year since Shepard had saved the universe from the Reapers, and it had been over a year since Tuchanka had been restored to its former glory in what had been a rough first few months.

Isandro understood the importance of the second celebration, but not the first. Maybe it was because he had holed up during the Reaper Invasion and didn't even learn of it until he had been placed into the custody of the C.P.V.C, maybe because he didn't witness and wasn't a part of it he couldn't celebrate this sweet freedom.

He met Krill outside Café Normandy and was surprised to find Skoll with them. He had expected Skoll to go to Earth with the others, but things with Shay were still delicate, even after so long and perhaps he thought it was best to celebrate this momentous event on his home planet.

"Hey, ready for tonight?" Krill asked. "The sky is going to light up like it's the Fourth of July!"

"Fourth of what?" Isandro asked, as he sat.

"It's a human saying," Krill replied. "It means we're going to have a lot of fun and there's going to be a lot of fireworks."

"If explosions in war made pretty colours we'd have a lot more people willing to join the army," Skoll remarked.

"Don't be so cynical!" Krill said. "We're celebrating nineteen months since the rise of Tuchanka and the fall of the Reapers!"

"And the geth," Skoll added. "Don't forget the fall of the geth."

Krill rolled his eyes. "I see why you didn't go to Earth with the others..." he said. "Grunt would have killed you if you ruined his Shepard Day."

"Can I ask why this Shepard is so special?" Isandro asked.

Krill and Skoll turned to Isandro, looking at him like he had suddenly grown a second head.

"I mean, I get that she saved the universe," Isandro continued. "But she's just one woman, what about all the soldiers who sacrificed themselves in the battles? Why does one woman get all the credit when so many died to help her get that far?"

"If it had been David Anderson who had saved us all then everyone would be praising him," Skoll said. "It's like how people praise you for your actions, even though you did very little compared to the efforts of our soldiers."

"It's just the way things work," Krill added. "People like to put a face to a victory. It's easy to say 'our brave soldiers', but really there's something very uneasy about that. Now if you say Shepard then instantly you'll think of our victory against the Reapers, that's all it is, just a face to a victory."

...

_Earth, London, British Alliance Headquarters_

Shepard's family were never from Britain, an odd thing Grunt considered as he sat up on that stage with the old Normandy crew as the world and the universe looked on. Down below he could see Aralakh Company seated beside Bakara, Mordin Junior, Faust and the Alkoras Crew, those who had helped in Tuchanka's darkest times.

It was strange to sit beside his old crew and surprised to see who had been lost. He had been aware of the losses, but to see them meant so much more. The Collector's took Jack, now Miranda, Mordin, Legion, Zaeed and Thane were gone, too. Samara had lost her daughter, Kolyat a father, and Shepard lost a dear friend in the lost Mordin.

He glanced over at what was left of the crew and he wondered why Jacob had bothered to come when he had such a dislike for aliens and Vega, Grunt didn't see much potential in the large human. And there was Alenko... the less said about him, the better.

He was glad to see Javik and the others, though, he had grown fond of them. He did wonder where Kasumi was hiding, and was glad EDI was kept out of sight too. They couldn't afford any AI-related incidents.

It was nice to see Wrex sat alongside them, alongside the Normandy, where he belonged.

Up at the podium Admiral Hackett prepared to give his speech, watching each individual camera with such focus only a soldier could know. Occasionally his glance fell to the large statue set up not far behind him, a cover placed over the image. The crowd and the world waited impatiently, keen to see this particular memorial.

He turned back to the crowd, and began:

"It's been a long nineteen months and I won't sugar coat it - it's been rough. We've had to fix our relays and homes, search through the dead in hopes of finding some comfort, and we've had to look back and accept this tragedy. Bones heal and buildings can be restored, but the memory of the Reaper Invasion will never leave us. Our children's grandchildren will look back in the history texts and they will know that we, the soldiers who fought, the civilians who stood their ground and the nurses and doctors who saved lives, are the heroes of the Reaper Invasion and without us, there would be no they."

The crowd applauded, a short burst of quick sharp claps that came over them like a storm and Grunt wondered why he was on this stage with the likes of Shepard. He hadn't even fought alongside her during the final push, he barely saw her after their departure on Utukku and then she vanished.

The applause slowly died down and Hackett continued.

"However we cannot forget the deeds of the Normandy Crew - who before and during the Invasion, worked tirelessly to defend us against the Reapers. When no one listened, when we thought them as fools, Shepard and her team continued to fight, despite the risks they took. Without them, I wonder if we would have survived, for it was their determination, their losses, their strength, which saved us. It is why we commemorate this statue in the honour of them and the galaxies fallen."

The cover was thrown away and standing tall was a large gold statue of Shepard, posed ready with a gun in head, an image of the Normandy flying overhead, and either side of her was Wrex and Mordin, her men following her into battle. There was an inscription on the base:

_In memory of the heroes and the fallen. Without them whose bodies we walked upon to victory, our worlds would have fallen._

_Rather grim,_ Grunt thought.

Applause followed and Hackett joined them, as he handed over the podium to Shepard. A strange hush fell over the crowd as they saw the hero of the Invasion approach them with her scarred face, her synthetic limbs, looking like any other broken soldier.

And maybe that's why they listened, because she was the everyday hero. She was Commander Shepard, but she was also a soldier, she had suffered for the good of the galaxy and here she stood before them, as average and foolish and as human as them.

Well, as human as most of them.

Shepard glanced at the statue, a smile playing at her lips, and she turned to the crowd and spoke to the galaxy.

"I never expected the statue to commemorate our victory would include me, really, I didn't. I understand why Wrex is there, his fighting force helped the turians and the rest of the universe, and he deserves to be remembered. Despite all the wrong done to his people, Wrex helped because he knew - even without a Genophage Cure - there was no future for anyone if we did not work together. And I think that's the thing we take away from our victory - that together we are stronger then as individuals. I learnt that myself, facing off against Saren, the Collectors and again against the Reapers. Just because we have won does not mean we should forget, the dead will always be remembered, but we cannot forget how we came together as one united galaxy against an enemy who threatened to destroy us."

Another applause, this time the crowd jumped to their feet and the soldiers in the crowd raised their fists in a triumphant 'hurrah!' Shepard smiled, even Grunt had to admit it was a pretty good speech and joined in on the applause.

He glanced at the crowd and saw Shay. She caught his eye and smiled.

...

Later, after several more speeches, there was a party held at a large convention centre just a few miles from the Alliance HQ. Grunt stayed with his fellow krogan, watching as the Normandy party all gathered together, as if waiting expectantly for Shepard to drag herself from the generals and soldiers and foreign ambassadors to return to her team.

"I hate speeches," Steel grumbled.

"I know," Ryö said, "but it's over now and we have free drinks."

"Now those I like," he laughed.

Shay turned to Grunt, noticing as he looked around the hall, searching for Shepard and occasionally glancing at his old team mates. It had been so long since he had seen them, she could understand the desire to see them again, to be with his old team mates again. She gently touched his arm, pulling his focus back to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "If you want to see your old team then go, we're not stopping you."

"I don't want to leave you alone," Grunt argued.

"I have Faust, how can I be alone?" Shay responded.

At the sound of her name Faust waved, even though Grunt was certain she didn't know what they were talking about. Grunt smiled and quickly kissed Shay on the lips, Giger made a joke on his part, and Grunt quickly headed towards the Normandy party.

Jeff greeted him with a warm smile.

"Hey, I was wondering when you'd show up," he said. "When did you get so many friends?"

"They're his team mates," Wrex replied. "One is his girlfriend and two are his brothers."

"I was not aware you had any siblings," Samara said.

"Neither did I," Grunt shrugged. "Only found out a few months after the Invasion."

"Siblings are something to cherish, look after them," she advised.

"Don't worry, I will," Grunt said.

There was a lot to catch up. After the Invasion everyone did go their separate ways, either to rebuild or restore what was left of their lives. Tali had indeed gone to Rannoch and had helped to rebuild her home world, while Samara had continued with her work as a Justicar, Jacob and his girlfriend had settled on a colony and Kaiden and Jeff were back on duty - though Jeff had become more of a private pilot for Shepard.

Liara and Javik had grown... _close_, as close as Shay and Grunt, and had successfully written a text on the true history of the protheans, from the mouth of an actual prothean with interpretations from a prothean lover and expert. Though perhaps 'prothean lover' had a whole new meaning now.

"And you, Grunt, what have you been up too?" Kaiden asked.

"Uh-"

"That's classified," Wrex quickly intervened. "Grunt works is special operations and to tell you would damage our security."

Kaiden frowned and Grunt just knew Wrex was trying to piss him off. Wrex didn't like Kaiden, while Wrex had never said why, he had said Kaiden had been a pain in the quads ever since Wrex met Shepard and didn't appreciate having an alien on board what he believed to be a human vessel.

Shepard came over, finally free of the politicians and their praise, with Bakara at her side and Mordin in her arms. She seemed pleased to be with her old friends, and they were happy to see her so... like herself. She had lost an arm and a leg and was brutally scarred, but what did that matter?

"Are you okay to carry him?" Wrex asked, gently rubbing his son's head. "He's heavy and your arm-"

"He's adorable," Shepard squealed. "Look at him, at those eyes! Garrus, can we have a krogan baby?"

"Erm, I'm not sure I can handle a krogan baby," Garrus said. "I can barely handle an adult."

Mordin Jr. turned to Grunt, stretching his arm towards him and making a 'gruh' noise - it was as close the baby could get to speaking actual words. Grunt smiled and shook the baby krogan's arm, and he giggled.

"He's almost talking," Grunt said. "He's sort of walking, so he can't be far off from talking."

"Infants become troublesome when they develop," Javik remarked. "They learn to talk back."

Liara gave an exasperated smile and gently touched Javik's arm. It didn't soften his smile, but something in his features did change, like some light appeared in his eyes that wasn't there before. Perhaps Liara and Javik were as close as Grunt thought.

It was nice to see. Grunt could not imagine what it must be like to be the last of your kind in a world full of 'primitives', at least with Liara at his side he had some comfort in a lover and as an asari she could give him children. Not prothean children, but children he could love.

Grunt wondered how long before he decided he would want kids. It was a strange thought, he didn't even have much compassion for the critters, but something about seeing kids made him want to have some of his own. Not now, maybe twenty years from now, but one day.

...

The party continued and slowly more alcohol was consumed and more people headed home. Wróg was not a good drinker so he headed back to the hotel with Durak and some others, Aeacus skulked around for a while in hopes of picking up some company for the night, but he was denied and he trudged on back to the hotel.

Even the original Normandy crew slowly started to leave, Jeff being the first, as he had left EDI alone for some time now and felt bad whenever he left her alone. Eventually Grunt was given his time alone with Shepard, and was glad for it. Talking over the phone was nothing compared to speaking face to face.

"How are things?" she asked. "Wrex has told me about all the work you've done - and it's good work, too. I'm proud of you."

"It's been... testing," he confessed. "I've never understood what it was like to be leader before. There was the Aralakh Company, but we never did anything like this - batarian rebels, coups, Ardat-Yakshi, organ trafficking and I have to be the one to handle it all. Hell, it made working with you seem peaceful."

She smirked.

"What about you?" he asked. "Last we talked about business you mentioned a certain position within the Councillors."

She paused, glancing round at the party goers, making sure no one could over hear and leaned in close.

"Next week the Alliance are putting forwards their candidate for human Councillor," she answered. "Sparatus already confirmed I'm his choice of candidate, so all I need is the salarian and asari representative to confirm it."

"Maybe if you become Councillor they'll finally listen to you," Grunt remarked.

She rolled her eyes. "Aren't you going to congratulate me?" she asked. "I know it's too early to, but if I'm not voted in then a lot of humans, krogan and a certain turian sniper will be very pissed. It's politics, plain and simple. The 'war torn hero' turned political leader - it'll please a lot of people and make all of them look good."

"Then let's hope you're right," he said. "You deserve this, Shepard."

"As I've been told," she said.

"You don't think you do?" he asked.

"I'm... not sure," she replied. "A part of me wants to return to the Normandy and keep fighting, while another part just wants to retire and go to Illium or Palaven for the rest of my life - but _another_ part of me wants to be Councillor so I can make the changes I couldn't as a soldier."

"Hmm, decisions, decisions," he said.

Shepard glanced over at Garrus, who was saying goodbye to Javik and Liara.

"I'll have to say goodbye," she said. "Will you be here much longer?"

"As long as the drinks are free," he replied.

She smiled and walked over to her asari friend and ancient lover. Shay'kera walked over to Grunt, another large glass of ryncol in her hand. She knew him so well. He happily accepted the drink, noticing Giger wave at him as he and Faust left.

"I didn't expect them to leave so early," he commented. "Faust can hold her ryncol."

"She said she wanted the opportunity to find her ancestors," Shay replied. "They won't be on Earth long, maybe another day, so she wants the time to go through the local archives and try to find her family."

"You make it sound easy," he said.

"Oh, no, it won't be easy," she agreed. "Faust is of German descent, a little far from London, don't you think? Actually, Shepard isn't of English descent either, is she? Why was this held in London?"

He shrugged in response. "Who knows?" he said. "I'm sure Shepard's family are Swedish or something like that, so maybe holding this ceremony here is a political thing."

"Maybe..."

"Have you... had fun?" he asked. "I know this isn't much of a date..."

"I've had fun, Grunt," she assured him. "I've seen a different side of you today. When you spoke with Dr T'soni about Mordin Solus and people you knew, your face sort of - _lit up_. These people were your family for so long, so this must be like a reunion."

"They are family, I guess," he said. "But they're like old relatives, the people your most fond of because you was with them the most, and now I've got new family. New brothers, sisters, the odd annoying cousin."

"I hope I'm not your relative," she teased. "That would be weird otherwise."

He just smiled and looked on at Shepard, his mother, and wondered what was next for him. There would always be threats to Tuchanka, but now there was nothing anyone could really do to hurt the Union because it would never be stronger than as it was now.

Perhaps there were new threats or new issues, he couldn't be certain, all he knew was that he was descending into an uncertain future that not he, or anyone else, could predict. And he was as ready as he could ever be. Come Hell or high water, Aralakh Company will never back down.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Originally I actually planned on ending the story on this chapter, as it seemed a good place to wrap it up, but I've become attached to my characters and hate to see it end so soon. I've planned a new story arc so please stick around and see what the future has in store for Grunt._

_Also, if you're wondering why EDI is alive then read my Platform which explains everything._


	21. Tank Brother

**Chapter Twenty-One: Tank Brother**

_Tuchanka, Urdnot City, 2187_

Walking through the small patch of green, a tiny krogan could be seen running freely through the grass and chasing the pyjacks up the trees. A varren followed him, barking and yapping happily, overjoyed to be beside its master. An old krogan watched the child go; smiling to himself as he remembered what had been there only two years ago.

How things had changed.

It was no longer a rocky pit, full of waste and varren fights. There were no roaming gang of mercenarys. There was no rusted debris looming over like the maw of a great thresher maw. What had once been a place for mercs to come and drink and fight was now a place for children to run and play.

A krogan and a human followed the child. The krogan seeming to panic every time the child fell or got too close to a pyjack, and the human would roll her eyes at her companions worry. The krogan wasn't even the child's parent, but they cared enough to worry like one.

"Mordin, don't run so far ahead!" Shay'kera ordered.

"Okay!" he called back.

He was growing well, as krogan children did. He was almost two, almost as old as the new krogan empire, but he was taller than any other two-year-old, smarter too. His crests were still orange, the darker grey patches more prominent, and his eyes were much darker too.

His varren, barely a pup much like himself, was one of Hati's own offspring as she had bred last summer with some stray. The other pups had not fared as well, perhaps due to the father's poor genes, but Little Hati fared better than her siblings.

"Look at you," Faust teased. "You've got the mother gene in you. Perhaps one day you'll be a mother to some troublesome brats."

"Can you really blame me?" she asked. "Don't tell me you look at him and feel no affection, no drive to protect?"

Faust watched the child, who stumbled over his feet and landed in a flower bed. He laughed at his fall and Little Hati jumped on him, licking his face. Shay watched Faust's face carefully, in hope of finding any kind of smile or trace of happiness.

There was nothing but a subtle hint of sadness. Shay did not know much about Faust, other than she had lived on Omega all her life and it had been a rough childhood. Perhaps because she never had a very good childhood she could not relate to the child or feared being as terrible a parent as her own were.

Who knew for sure? Faust was a mystery, even to Shay, who thought of Faust as her best friend.

"So where is Bakara today that she couldn't have Mordin with her?" Faust asked.

"It was an important meeting at the Shaman's Guild," Shay replied. "Wrex is there too, it's some kind of joint meeting - concerning what, I don't know."

"I see..." Faust trailed off in thought.

"Are you... okay?" Shay asked. "You seem a little off."

"I was just thinking about something I found the other day..." she replied. "It's probably of no consequence to us."

...

In the Shaman's Guild, Bakara and Wrex sat at the empty table. It was indeed a meeting, just not between the members of the guild and the councillors. Wrex and Bakara had called the Okeer Trio in for a talk, concerning a strange package they had received that same morning. There was no name or return address, just a curious expression:

_Vi veri veniversum vivus vici._

They had already inspected the package and it had called for the Trio's immediate attention. They arrived sometime after being called in, coming to sit at the oval table in the small conference room. It wasn't the original guild hall, but rather a smaller room for smaller business matters.

They immediately noticed the package, but neither of them said anything and sat down. Wrex pushed the package forwards and they examined the markings. Giger frowned and seemed to fidget with his wrist. Grunt noticed, and let it drop for the moment.

"What is this?" Grunt asked.

"It arrived this morning," Bakara arrived. "It was addressed to us but was not meant for us. It was meant for you. Open it up."

Grunt did so and inside he found several data pads and some data for a holovid, a quick examination of each of these items revealed they belonged to Okeer and concerned something known as 'Subject 316'. None of them were generally surprised by this knowledge, having known each of their own subject numbers, but why was it sent to Wrex and Bakara?

"I believe it was sent to us so we could decide what to do with it," Wrex said. "There's a lot about this subject that's worrying - you'll get what we meant once you've read the data - but we decided the best thing to do would be to give them to you three."

"But who sent them?" Steel asked.

Grunt glanced at Giger, who decided it was best to speak to up, less Grunt point him out.

"I think Faust sent them," he said.

"How can you tell?" Wrex asked.

"That marking, it's Latin," Giger replied. "It means, _'By the power of truth, I while living have conquered the universe'._ Faust gave me a bracelet with that saying just after we met."

"So Faust finds this potentially dangerous experiment and not sure what to do with him, she gives the data to our leaders," Grunt said. "It's smart thinking, but why can't she be more direct about who sent them?"

"It depends on how she received the information," Steel replied. "Perhaps being indirect would help keep her identity secret. After all, Aria is still after you two, right?"

"If Aria's after you then you need to get that sorted," Wrex ordered. "I don't know what it's about, I couldn't really care either, but you need to get her off your back."

"You make it sound easy," Giger grumbled.

"Enough," Bakara interjected. "You have the data, now it's time to decide what you're going to do with it and this experiment."

"We'll take it home and examine it all," Grunt replied. "Once we've read it all we can come to a discussion."

"Alright then," Wrex said. "Go and do it. I've still got things to do."

They took the box and left and Wrex smiled.

"You don't have anything to do today," Bakara said.

"I know," he said. "But it's my day off. I want to spend it with the kid and you."

...

Faust and Shay'kera returned Mordin Junior to his parents and went to meet the Okeer Trio at Grunt's apartment. They found the Trio sat at the table in the living room, examining a box of data pads left scattered on the small table. Giger was the first to look up and Faust grimaced under his steely stare.

"Having fun?" she asked.

"Probably not as much fun you had finding all of this," Steel remarked.

"Just so you know, I wasn't the one who found all this," she said. "An old contact on Omega found it during an assignment and passed it along. That's why the inscription was on the box, to let me know it was from her."

Giger frowned, "So where did this contact find all this?" he asked.

"I don't know," Faust said. "She wouldn't tell me. She maybe an old friend but I don't work with her anymore, she can't share that information."

"That doesn't matter," Grunt said. "There is a location hidden within the data to where we can find the experiment, so it's likely the experiment and data were kept separate, probably Okeer trying to hide his notes."

Shay'kera took a step forwards, raising her hand like a lost student. "Uh... what's going on here?" she asked. "What _is_ all this stuff?"

"The long and short of it is that there is another experiment, but he may be dangerous," Steel explained.

"How dangerous?" Shay asked.

"Some of the data is corrupted, but it seems that this experiment was given to the previous Shadow Broker in exchange for some information and the promise the Broker would leave Grunt alone," Steel answered. "The Broker never got the chance to activate his project because he died. The experiment is being held in an old facility on Illium."

"How does that make him dangerous?" she asked.

"Okeer mentions a 'personality flaw' in his notes," Giger replied. "Like Steel said, the data is corrupted so we're missing some lines, but Okeer gave this one away solely because of this personality flaw. It has to be pretty bad for Okeer just to give this guy away."

"A personality flaw could mean anything," Faust said. "He could be a little cold or a little happy, it depends on whatever Okeer was trying to accomplish. I mean, Giger and Steel are 'failures' because they're not biotic and don't have krogan longevity, but they serve me and Ryö just fine."

"She's right," Steel said. "Okeer's needs are what defined a failure and a success, there could be anything wrong with this guy and it's unfair of us to keep him locked away without knowing the truth."

Grunt put down one of the data pads and stood. "I guess it's decided then," he said. "Someone call Viv so she can get the ship ready. You coming too, Faust?"

She considered it for a second, then declined his offer. "Talking about my contact has got me thinking... I should probably get this thing with Aria sorted," she said. "I can't let it keep dragging on."

"Then I'm going too," Giger said. "It's my fault, anyway."

"_You_ are going to find your long lost brother, _I'm_ going to Omega," she said. "If when you come back I'm still there, then you come. Okay?"

He wanted to argue, it was obvious, but he knew there was no point in arguing with someone who had an answer to everything. "Fine," he said. "Just call, okay?"

"I'll try," she said. "I may need to keep communication to a minimum though."

Steel saw this as his moment to step in. During their chat he had called Viv and everything had been arranged, she had given them clearance and the ship was ready. They just needed to head out quickly, not knowing who else knew about this Experiment 316 could prove to be disastrous if someone captured him for whatever nefarious purpose.

"We're ready to leave straight away," he said. "Just waiting on you, Giger."

"I'm ready," he said. "Let's get this over with."

...

_Illium, Nos Astra_

The trip to Illium was short, Viv had plotted the fastest course and within two hours they had arrived to the stunning asari capital. Shay was reminded of her last trip to this beautiful place, where Steel was kidnapped and Adria's life was in danger. It had not been a good trip.

They parked the ship at a small docking bay and followed the directions into the city, renting a cab as they flew over the bright neon lights of the bustling city. They passed the business district and entered a darker part of the city, the industrial district. They came to Warehouse 4-D and landed.

This part of the city was quiet, it was late in the evening but they still expected some workers. This particular warehouse was abandoned, so perhaps that accounted for the lack of life. The warehouse was locked with a complicated code, thankfully it had been contained within the notes, and so they easily got in.

Inside was dark but as they went further in the lights switched on automatically and in the centre of the large empty space was a metal tank. It was hooked up to a large terminal and generator, and the whole thing was covered in thick metal plates.

"The Broker took care of his things," Steel observed. "Can anyone get this open?"

"I'll try," Shay said. "But I'm not as skilled as Adria, so it'll take time."

"Adria would have been better," Grunt agreed. "But I don't think she would have been keen to return here after what happened."

"I got over being kidnapped," Steel remarked.

"You didn't discover your father was responsible for setting fire to a vendetta that cost other people their lives," Grunt retorted.

"Nobody's parents are perfect," Steel said. "Look at ours."

Shay glanced back at his little comment, but said nothing and carried on with her work. The security placed over the tank was tight, very sophisticated in fact, and for a novice this would be difficult. Thankfully Adria had taught her a few tricks and so it only took around fifteen minutes to break through the defences.

The terminal's screen turned green.

"I can open it now," she announced. "There are two barriers, though. The first one removes the metal plating's, the second one releases the krogan."

"Best to remove the plating's first," Grunt said. "We need to see what kind of condition he's in and then, maybe, we'll wake him up."

Shay obeyed her commander and, after messing with the terminal for a moment, there was a slight hiss as the plates were pulled back like a dark veil. Grunt felt strange as he looked at the krogan floating in the thick liquid, and he wondered, is this what Shepard saw the first time she ever looked upon him?

The krogan inside was probably the same age as Grunt, if a little older judging by how his crests had started to form and become like spikes. His plates were the same crisp red as autumn leaves with the same dabbles of orange and yellow. He wore a boring black suit, but sleeping in a tank left very little room for fashion.

"Nice crest colour," Giger said. "Did Okeer like unusual crest colouring, or is this purely coincidental?"

"There is an old file of his which mentions the importance of crest colours," Steel replied. "It's something to do about the old myth that crests were equal to power, with average powers being an average krogan and unusual crests-"

"Unusual krogan," Shay finished. "I have to say that I agree."

Steel frowned at Shay, but didn't correct her.

"So what do we do with him?" Giger asked. "Grunt? What do we do with him?"

Grunt looked at his tank-brother for a long, paused breath. This krogan was no different than him, they looked practically the same except for their crests. The only thing that separated them was a 'personality flaw', so if Grunt was the one with this flaw, would he be the one in the tank with his tank-brothers looking on?

"How is he looking?" Grunt asked.

"Heart rate: normal. Blood pressure: normal. Brain waves: normal," Shay read. "He's fine, removing him from the tank will be a bit of a shock to the system but it won't be enough to kill him."

"Then do it," Grunt ordered.

Shay turned to the terminal and opened the tank. The terminal flashed red and the generator groaned, a panel opened up on the tank and the water came gushing out. The water smelt strange and as it washed across the floor and between their feet, they noticed a strange texture that made it resemble some thick goo.

The wires released their hold and the krogan stumbled through the opening and landed on his hands and knees. He coughed and threw up some of the goo. Grunt grimaced in memory of his release; the sudden hot air, the feel of your windpipe being squeezed as you struggled to breathe while puking up the gunk that once lined your lungs.

And if this krogan was anything like Grunt, then they had to be careful. Shay went to take a step forwards, Grunt held his hand up and stopped her. The autumn krogan gasped loudly, his lungs cleared, and he took in deep, sweet breaths. He looked up and now they saw his eyes - grey. It was so strange, his crests were so colourful and then his eyes were so grey and they stuck out so awkwardly.

"How are you feeling, friend?" Steel asked. "How does fresh air taste?"

The krogan looked up at him and replied, "Bitter sweet."

"Other than that?"

"I'm... very... awake," he slowly answered. "This feeling is... new. Most of the time it's just... pictures and words..."

"Is it really?" Shay asked Grunt.

"Yes," he answered. "We're taught through programming contained within the tank. It talks to us and teaches us. It's like watching a weird film."

"You're tank born, too?" the krogan asked.

"All of us, except the lady, are tank born," Steel replied. "So tell us - what do we call you?"

The krogan paused, as he thought back to all the words that had suddenly filled his mind and he felt almost like his head would burst from this pressure. So many words, so much of Okeer's lectures deep inside of him, talking and talking about things that didn't seem important. But amongst them all was one word that found him.

"My name is... Monger."

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_This was a lot longer than I planned and a lot later too, sorry about that :)_


	22. And They Fall Part I

**Chapter Twenty-Two: And They Fall Part I**

Giger stared at the terminal's screen, an image of a two phones connected by an arrow danced on screen in an almost mocking way. It was accompanied by an annoyingly cheerful tune. He occasionally glanced at Shay who stood beside the phone booth, her gaze fixated on the bustling city of people.

Aralakh Company had temporarily booked into a hotel; while they could have remained in the warehouse it was best to move Monger to some place more friendly and comfortable. They needed to run a few checks on him before they could return to Tuchanka, besides that Wrex needed to be informed and arrangements made.

Giger had decided to check on Faust and Shay was keen on joining him.

"Is it wise to phone off such an unsecure channel?" she asked.

"I don't have much other choice," he replied. "Faust's own comm-network is down, a precaution to avoid trouble probably, so the only other choice I have is this network. Don't worry, it's under a different name and riddled with firewalls and viruses in case anyone tries to break in."

"Will she be okay on Omega?" she asked. "You never did tell us why Aria was after you. What did you do that was so bad Aria promised to hunt you down?"

"It's not nearly as serious as you think," he explained. "Potentially, however, it's terrible."

"How so?" she asked.

Giger paused for a moment, as if considering whether to share this secret with her. The fact was if Faust was successful in healing this bond with Aria then the truth would come out, there would be no avoiding it and Faust would likely tell Shay anyway.

The terminal dinged and turned red, the connecting dots between the arrows was broken. Giger swore and threw the phone, it dangled and twisted and the cord instantly retracted, returning it to the hook. Shay touched his arm reassuringly, trying to calm him before he could implode, as krogan men tended to do when annoyed.

"Give it some time and then call back," she said. "You don't know what's happening right now and bombarding her with calls won't help."

He sighed, "You're right," he said. "I just... worry. If she was a krogan I wouldn't worry so much - she'd have a naturally hard hide, but she's human so she's soft."

"Shepard is human too and you forget how strong she is," Shay remarked. "Humans are stronger than we give them credit for."

He nodded, though he didn't seem as assured by her words as she hoped. They returned to the hotel, which was just across the road, and didn't notice the krogan watching them.

...

While Grunt spoke with Wrex, informing him of the discovery and trying to arrange some means of accommodation, Monger watched Giger as he struggled to get a connection with his human female. He didn't quite understand it, why such concern for the human female?

Surely the female krogan besides him was of greater interest, with the correct crest shape and appropriate height. For breeding purposes she was adequate, so why such concern for some creature of another race who one couldn't even breed with?

"Something wrong?" Steel asked. "You seem... _confused_. What about? The city light's too much for you?"

"No," Monger replied. "That krogan, Giger, why is he so concerned about this female human?"

"You really don't get people, do you?" Steel said. "Don't worry, give it time and you'll understand even the strangest of people."

"Then explain this to me," Monger said. "Giger is a krogan, yet he cares for this human female even though they cannot breed. Isn't that the purpose of relations?"

"If you're a salarian, maybe," Steel replied. "But there's more to relationships than having kids. You can't just cut out baser emotions like love and compassion and sometimes hate. What makes relationships special is all the shit and great things that go with it. Besides, Giger and I can't have kids and as a 'failure' neither can you most probably."

Monger glared at him, "I am _not_ a failure," he growled.

"I know that," Steel said. "You think I don't like being labelled a mistake? But that's how Okeer saw us, that's why he rejected us. But it doesn't stop you from living a good life."

Giger and Shay'kera entered the room, and Monger fell into a hard silence as he considered Steel's words. Grunt finished his conversation with Wrex and turned to his team, announcing the decision the krogan senator had come to.

"When we return to Tuchanka Monger is to be taken into the care of C.P.V.C," he told them. "They want to monitor him for a little while, help to adjust to society before sending him off into the world."

"What's the C.P.V.C?" Monger asked.

"The Centre of Prescribed Veteran Care," Giger replied. "We have a... friend who was once under their care and now he's right as rain."

"Right as rain?" Monger repeated with a frown.

"It's a human expression," Giger explained.

Monger didn't seem to approve of 'human expressions' and Steel decided it was perhaps best to keep an eye on Monger, just in case he started to show any xenophobic traits. They left the room and then returned to the ship, taking the long journey back to Tuchanka.

Monger didn't speak throughout the entire trip, he mostly stared at the darkness that lay beyond the port window. He had a curious expression on his face, like a man trying to figure out what was inside the darkness and was dissapointed to find nothing out there in the dark.

Giger tried to call Faust twice more during the flight, but each time he was met with a sad message telling him the caller was unavailable. He then sat with a worried frown that no one could ease, or dared to. In such situations it was best to leave the krogan be.

They arrived on Tuchanka and were met by Isandro, two other nurses and a hospital ambulance. They took Monger into the back of the vehicle where they began their inspection, doing all the checks Shay'kera had previously made, but with the professional insight she lacked.

"You sure he'll be alright?" Grunt asked Isandro.

"It's hard to say," Isandro answered truthfully. "The fact is his programming wasn't finished, unlike you, so he won't adjust to situations as naturally as you did. You were programmed to be a soldier and by Shepard taking you in you could adjust to people and situations far quicker because of the type of environment you were raised in. 'Monger' doesn't have this luxury and until we discover how far his programming goes we can't determine the best kind of people or environment to place him in."

"Does that mean Steel and Giger's programming wasn't finished too?" Grunt asked.

"Most likely," Isandro said. "All of Okeer's creations were supposed to be perfect soldiers, however they weren't finished because they were 'failures'. Luckily the twins were raised by a Battle Master and Blood Pack, so even if their programming wasn't complete, they still had the genetic urge to want to be around fighters and they got this."

Grunt considered this for a moment, he hadn't realized how complicated Monger's situation was. He knew that Monger may have had difficulties in joining a society he knew nothing of, much like Isandro, but unlike every other Okeer experiment he had been alone for so long and he knew nothing of his people or culture. There was much he needed to learn.

"If you need anything, call me first," Grunt said. "I'll help in any way I can."

Isandro smiled, "Having someone to look out for him is a great start," he said. "I'll call once we get him settled."

"Thanks."

Isandro entered the ambulance's driver seat and drove the vehicle away. Grunt turned to his men and saw Giger was already gone. Grunt didn't blame him for being in such a rush, if Shay had suddenly gone off the grid then he would probably be as determined as Giger to get any kind of contact.

"I'm heading back to my apartment, I'll see you love birds later," Steel said.

Shay waved as he left, then turned her beautiful eyes on him. He knew the look. They now had the rest of the day to themselves and he knew just how they liked to spend it.

...

The day went on and the people of Tuchanka went about their business. The sky darkened as the day was drawn to a close, casting the sky into a calming crisp orange before darkness fell over Tuchanka and wiped away the colours. Most of the citizens turned in, some went out, and Monger looked down on these people and the yellow lights of Urdnot City from his room.

He did have a good view, being three floors up and with the centre situated on a slight hill he was positioned just right. He could see the whole city and beyond and if he looked hard enough he could see the people who enjoyed the night.

There was a knock at the door, the sound of a bolt being moved and Isandro entered with a tray of food. The doors of the facility were always double locked - with an old fashioned bolt and then a security pass code. It was unnecessary for most patients, but for new patients and the more mentally unstable it was a must.

"How are you feeling?" Isandro asked.

The tests showed no problems with Monger and on a biological scale he was very similar to Grunt, he had some longevity - they estimated he had an extra two hundred years to live - and he was biotic. However he wasn't fertile and they were still looking for this 'personality flaw'.

"I am well," Monger replied. "The sight of the city fills me with joy... it is very beautiful."

"Yes, it is," Isandro agreed. "If all goes well then hopefully you can be in the city soon. Well behaved patients take trips to Urdnot City and other places, too."

"Are you a well behaved patient?" Monger asked.

Isandro looked a little surprised, "Pardon?"

"I asked if you are you a well behaved patient," Monger repeated. "Grunt mentioned a friend who was once a patient, I assume it is you, so are you a well behaved patient?"

Isandro put the tray of food down onto the side table and turned to Monger with a sad expression. Monger was trudging up memories of a sadder time. He cared not to think back to when he confessed and cried to the doctors, when they helped him get through his emotional obstacles.

"I am not a patient, I haven't been for a very long time," Isandro said calmly. "The doctors helped me and now I help people like you."

"There's nothing wrong with me," Monger said.

"Oh, silly boy, there's plenty wrong," Isandro said. "No one person is 'perfect' and it's taken Grunt sometime to accept that. If the brother designed to be perfect isn't be then what chance do we have? We are Okeer's rejects and that's fine with me."

Monger glared at him, "It's not fine with me!" he snapped. "I will not be defined by your standards! Or _his!_ I am krogan and I am perfect because of what I am."

"I'm starting to see the personality flaw," Isandro muttered and then said in a louder voice. "I can see you are getting agitated, I better leave."

He quickly left, locking the door behind him. He glanced in through the small slot, watching as Monger ignored the food and continued to stare out the window at the lights of the city. Isandro decided it was probably best to tell Grunt about Monger's outburst.

Tomorrow. He would tell Grunt tomorrow, it was late and perhaps bad news at such a late hour was not something someone wished to hear before going to sleep. Besides, Isandro's shift was over and he was rather keen on seeing his bed again.

...

The following morning Aeacus arose early and headed to the C.P.V.C, a box of treats in his hand. He had heard Sif had started volunteering at the centre and after the disastrous start to their meeting he was prepared to fix things.

After her clan joined the Union Sif went to live on Illium, something he only found out days after she was gone, and she returned to Urdnot City some months ago. She returned very quietly, only the other day had he heard she was back and now he was willing to woe her.

He entered and asked the receptionist where Sif was, the receptionist replied that he would call her down. He took a seat beside a krogan of autumn orange crests who was speaking with a nurse, another krogan with darker, plainer crests. After some time Sif came down and at the sight of Aeacus she looked as though she planned on turning away.

"Sif, wait!" he called. "Can't we talk?"

"There's nothing to talk about," she said. "Aeacus, just go!"

"But..." he reached out and snatched her arm. "You listen to me, you will be mine!"

"You stupid pyjack!" she tore her arm free. "I will have words with your unit's commander and you will be punished."

He laughed, "You stupid girl," he hissed. "You have no idea what I do... you don't even know my commander."

"That's where you re wrong," she snapped. "I know everything and Grunt will not be happy."

"What... how do you..."

The nurse came over and grabbed Aeacus by the collar, lifting him up and throwing him to the ground. He turned to Sif and touched her arm, asking if she was okay. He touched her arm like a lover would, tenderly, like a giant trying to hold sand. Aeacus gritted his teeth and jumped to his feet, charging towards the nurse.

Sif's arm shot forwards and Aeacus was thrown back, hit in the chest by a cold biotic blast. Within seconds security was on him, grabbing his arms and legs and dragging him away. The nurse turned to Sif, her fist still raised and still throbbing with power.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked. "You're in no condition to be seeing to the patients right now and your emotionally instability may lead to problems with the-"

She sighed and lowered her fist. "I'm fine, Roth," she said. "I'm just very tired."

"All the more reason to go home," Roth insisted.

She sighed again, realizing that Roth was right. How could she see to her patients when she felt like she was about to break down at any moment, when she felt scared that perhaps this matter with Aeacus would never settle. She needed to do something about it, she needed to see Wrex and Grunt.

She decided to make it her first and only stop before going home, she needed to see Grunt and tell him what happened. She kissed Roth once and left, leaving him to explain the situation to the hospital's director.

From his seat Monger had watched the whole thing quietly. Now with the cause of concern gone he stood and headed for the exit and stopped, picking up the box of treats that had been trampled on. The significance of the token seemed not as important as the events which led to this attack, almost like a disaster, triggered by a small change with everlasting dark consequences.

...

Grunt glanced at the terminal screen and instantly looked away, he couldn't bare the sight of Aeacus in the cell. Such a terrible turn his team mate had taken, how had he not seen this coming? Grunt knew about Sif's relationship with Roth, for was the reason she returned to Tuchanka. Grunt should have been more prepared, what a fool he was.

"What now?"

Wrex was silent for a moment, considering his options. The truth was Sif came to Tuchanka for another reason, while she had come to be with Roth and re-join her kind on her home world, Wrex had seen her as the perfect candidate for a new member Aralakh Company.

While she was once her clan's representative, Sif was actually a trained soldier who had fought on Earth in the N7 Spec Ops and was one of the few survivors of the final push. Her duties as clan representative were to protect her Shaman and leader. It was true that they had not had any planet-defying incidents since the arrest of the Collector Impersonator, but there would always be threats that needed to be quietly handled and Sif was perfect.

However the problem was how to incorporate her into his plans without Aeacus causing fuss. Today had been an eye-opener and Wrex now understand that choosing Aeacus to be part of such a selfless campaign was a terrible decision, one he needed to rectify.

"First Aeacus needs to be punished," Wrex said. "Secondly I'm reassigning him to a new unit, as of today Sif is replacing him."

"_Sif?_ Really?" Grunt asked.

"I've been trying to persuade her for some time to join," Wrex replied. "She said no at first, then some months ago she changed her mind and came back to Urdnot City. Since then I've been trying to figure out how to carefully introduce her new position."

"Aeacus won't go quietly," Grunt warned. "And there's no guarantee he won't talk about our assignments."

"He talks, he dies," Wrex said bluntly. "It's that simple. I won't have him endangering my family."

...

Grunt couldn't sleep that night, despite the comforting warmth of the body beside he found his mind returning to Aeacus and Sif and how badly things had turned out. Aeacus could stay a misogynist, as long as he kept his mouth shut, but today proved that Aeacus was far too unstable to work with anyone - male or female.

A female who threatened his position or was proven to be better than him was a threat. Any male who threatened his right to 'his female' was an enemy. Aeacus could be friends with no one because he thought he was superior to everyone, his narcissictic tendencies had caused him to be taken down by the one woman he cared about and now he had lost his position within one of the highest military operations.

Aeacus had been a loose screw for too long, he had been the weak joint and eventually he would cause the machine to break down. Thankfully this had all happened before a mission, Grunt didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if Aeacus had caused such trouble during an assignment.

Something soft brushed across his face and a second later he realized it was Shay's lips.

"You need to get some sleep," she said. "This thing with Aeacus is over."

"Is it?" he asked. "You and I both know he's one to hold a grudge. He won't even look at you in the eye because of what happened before... he won't forget about this."

"What does it matter?" she said. "He talks, he dies. Weren't those Wrex's words?"

"Well, yeah..."

"If that idiotic values his life he won't do anything stupid."

She was right. Aeacus was foolish, but not stupid enough to throw his life away. If he leaked any information about Aralakh Company then it would soon be traced back to him and if anything happened to any of the team then he would have to fight an entire Senate, the Shaman Guild, the Skull Crew, so many who would want him dead.

Assured by her words, Grunt reached over to kiss her. His Omni-tool buzzed. Groaning in annoyance he sat up and activated his massager. A second later his expression paled, going almost green. Shay immediately sat up, grabbing his arm.

"What's wrong?" she said. "Grunt, what happened?"

He turned to her, but was unable to say anything. She turned his arm, getting a better view of the message, and her stomach dropped. Everything she had said was shattered by the tragedy of reality and Shay wondered what they could possibly do to fix this.

**AEACUS HAS ESCAPED. ISANDRO HAS BEEN MURDERED.**

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_I was listening to Bring Me The Horizon's new album Sempiternal when writing this chapter and it got me really pumped, it helped me tap into the darker themes necessary for this new two (maybe three) part storyline. Sleepwalking was particulary helpful for writing anything about Monger, the song just seemed to suit him :) So if your into metal then check out the album, it's awesome!_

_And stick around for the hunt for Aeacus!  
_


	23. And They Fall Part II

**Chapter Twenty-Three: And They Fall Part II**

A small moth-like creature flew up to the open light, tapping the case that contained the source of glorious light. It hovered around the light, trying to get in, trying to escape the darkness and bathe in the warm and welcoming light that would surely protect it from the things lurking in the dark.

Below its eyes could make out several figures sat around a rounded table, they sat in silence and stared at a terminal, as if in expectance of some news. It carried on, not too concerned with the krogan below. As long as they did not bother him, he would not bother them, as things ought to be.

Grunt looked around at his men, trying to ignore the annoying tap of the moth hitting the light. After receiving the dreadful news he and Shay'kera had changed and immediately went straight to the Hub, somehow letting in that damn moth with them.

Sif present amongst the group, her confirmation as new member being made official only an hour before Isandro's murder. Giger had come, though grudgingly. He had been prepared to leave for Omega at any moment, now this business with Aeacus and Isandro had interrupted his plan and he couldn't seem to focus on the business at hand.

Viv was stood to the side, on her disk, waiting for any news to transmit forwards.

"I just... can't believe it..." Durak said, cutting through the silence. "I get why Aeacus would escape, he's the type of idiot who wouldn't see his mistake."

"Monger has heard the news," Sif announced. "He had overheard from another patient what had happened. Apparently he's very upset; he was starting to get along with Isandro."

"Why would Aeacus kill Isandro?" Wróg asked. "I just don't understand it..."

"Maybe Aeacus went looking for Roth," Sif suggested, "but found Isandro and when he wouldn't tell Aeacus where Roth was he..."

"Isandro's body wasn't found at the hospital," Adria argued. "The hospital's records show Isandro signed out at 7:30pm and his body was found at 11:45pm at his own apartment."

"Who found his body?" Steel asked.

"A neighbour," Adria opened up a file on the terminal, the initial report filed by the local authorities. "They claimed they heard shouting and then some minutes later there was a loud noise, they went to investigate and found him dead. The balcony's door was open so it seems Aeacus went through out that way."

"How do we know it was Aeacus?" Skoll asked.

"Aeacus escaped at approximately 10:00pm, he knocked out the guards and stole one of their uniforms," Wróg answered. "At 11:00pm the guards changed shifts and discovered his empty cell. He had plenty of time to go to Isandro's apartment and kill him."

"But why Isandro?" Skoll insisted. "It makes no sense."

"Isandro lives closest to the prison," Shay said. "He could have gone there to hide. Isandro protested and then..."

"We need to work out the time," Grunt ordered. "How long does it take to get from the prison to Isandro's apartment?"

"About forty minutes on foot," Wróg answered.

"If we add on ten minutes for the time taken to knock out the guards and change uniform then that brings the time to 10:50pm, but even that isn't definite if the time of escape is approximate," Grunt observed. "We've also got to consider what he did afterwards, there's no guarantee he went straight to Isandro."

"He didn't call me," Sif said.

"Alright, that helps somewhat," Grunt said. "What time did this neighbour hear Isandro shouting and then what time did they hear the noise?"

"They heard shouting at approximately 11:30-35pm," Adria answered. "The bang was heard at 11:40 and the neighbour managed to get in at 11:45pm."

"Then that's forty minutes between the escape and the murder unaccounted for," Steel said. "He could have done anything within that time, including making his next decision."

Viv turned her attention from her research and approached the team. "I think what is now important is locating Aeacus," she announced. "If he has not yet contacted Sif then it is unlikely he will, not with the knowledge he is wanted for murder. He will go underground; perhaps seek shelter within his own clan system."

"He won't look for help, it's far too likely someone will rat him in," Giger replied. "If he's smart he'll keep his head low and then wait for his chance to leave."

"Right, then we close all the ports," Grunt ordered. "Viv, send the order - all ports are to be closed for twenty-four hours, after that time double security. We're going to split up into teams and search the city. He can't have gotten too far."

They nodded obediently and left, except for Giger who Grunt asked to stay. Viv turned back to her equipment, giving them as much privacy as could be allowed.

"What is it?" Giger asked.

"I want you to go home and wait for Faust to call," Grunt ordered. "You're not in the right frame of mind to go in search of a suspected killer."

"But what if Faust doesn't call?" Giger asked. "I haven't heard anything and I'm... I'm scared."

"If she doesn't call then go to Omega and if I can, I'll go with you," Grunt replied.

"Alright..." Giger said. "Thanks."

He quickly left, practically running back to his apartment. Grunt took a deep, calming breath, making sure his head was cleared. Aeacus was a suspected killer and the police weren't focusing on him, under orders from Wrex Aralakh Company were to see to the capture of Aeacus while the police collected more evidence.

This was all on his head, he had to make sure Aeacus was caught and that no one else was killed.

...

The group was split up into two, with each team taking a portion of Urdnot City. Sif and Grunt went west to the old ruins, while Skoll and Wróg would spread themselves to the north and to the heart of the city, while Durak and Adria went south to the border of the city and Steel and Shay'kera were to go east.

The old ruins of the west were now considered historical monument, and so could not be tampered with. It was the best place to hide, perhaps the only place if Aeacus wanted to keep his head down. They needed to find him soon if they were going to uncover the truth.

Walking through the ruins of the old world Grunt focused his torch light ahead; Sif walked just a little bit ahead, her body covered by her biotic aura. Grunt couldn't begin to imagine how she must be feeling, her first mission and it was to track down the man who had been obsessed with her for so long.

"Are you... okay?" he asked. "I know this must be hard..."

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "I emotionally detached myself from Aeacus several years ago. When we were children we were great friends, but then when adolescences settled in he required more than my friendship and I couldn't allow myself to be treated so terribly."

"You're a very brave krogan," he said. "I'll give you that."

"Thank you, but I'm no braver than most," she said.

They carried on ahead, searching through the dark tunnels and small openings, and found nothing. Perhaps this place was a bust and was just as empty as it seemed. They decided to continue on, though, as the ruins were large and there were plenty of places to hide.

As they walked on Grunt's Omni-tool buzzed and he answered an intercepting call from Steel.

"We got a problem!" he exclaimed. "I don't where these things came from, but they're huge and a problem!"

"What are you talking about?" Grunt asked. "What happened?"

"We're being attacked by god damn robots!" Steel gasped. "They're not LOKI mechs; they're something new, like-"

The transmission was cut short, leaving them to ponder this new development. Mechs were attacking them now? And what exactly did he mean by 'new' mechs? He glanced over to Sif and her Omni-tool was lighting up with reports from the other teams, everyone was being attacked, but how had they all suddenly found these new dangers?

The areas they were searching were large; it couldn't just be a coincidence that they had all encountered these new machines, which meant they were being specifically targeted. Sif's biotic field suddenly flared and he turned his attention forwards, where great hulking mechs appeared from the gloom.

...

Giger had arrived back at his apartment, rushing over to his terminal. He had to contact Faust; he had to get word out to her. With the ports now temporarily closed Giger couldn't leave and Faust couldn't return even if she wanted too, which meant he had to wait twenty-four hours before he could leave for Omega.

If he could just get through to her and know that she was okay then he could rest easy, his soul would be relieved. She had saved his life too many times; it was now his time to repay her for everything she had done for him.

He checked his terminal and was more than surprised to find she had left him a message. That was good, if she had left him a message under her own name then that meant things on Omega had been resolved. She was no longer in danger. He breathed a sigh of relief and felt his legs go almost weak.

He went to open the message, when he stopped. Something wasn't quite right. What was it? Everything in his apartment was in its place, so what was it...

He felt something press against the back of his head and then he realized his mistake. He didn't unlock his door, it was already open. Damn it, what a fool he had been. The thing against his head - a gun, most likely - was pushed harder against his crests.

His assailant said nothing, merely fired.

Giger collapsed to the floor, not a drop of blood staining the floor. He wasn't dead, of course, the type of weapon the assailant used didn't contain a round strong enough to break through all the layers of crest and reach the brain. It had, however, created a nasty hole and like the rest of the krogan's plating it had nerve endings, which meant Giger felt the shot as painfully as any wound, if with the absence of blood.

He was unconscious for the moment and may fall into shock, but for now he would just be in agonizing pain until he either bled out or someone came to assist him, which would be soon. The attacker had to leave soon and he knew it, but first...

He checked the message Faust had sent Giger and he found he was rather annoyed by how much information the human woman had uncovered. If the other members of Aralakh Company discovered this then his plan would fall apart before it could be completed, worst still, the woman was on her way.

He deleted the message, erasing it completely from the system and quickly left. He turned a corner, taking the stairs down, and caught sight of a neighbouring asari who had come to investigate the gun shot. A second later there was a scream.

...

Sif activated her Omni Blade and dug its searing tip into the mech's side, tearing it across and creating a jagged opening. The mech reached over and she jumped back. Grunt charged forwards and dug his fist into the opening, quickly sending a shock through its internal systems, with some help from his Omni-tool.

The mech swung widely, Grunt ducked and pushed the machine away. It stumbled and fell, going still. He turned to Sif, watching as she charged towards another machine and easily severed its head. She truly was a fighter; he should never have doubted her.

While Sif saw to the last of the machines Grunt considered their origins and purpose. The machines were odd, they were just a little bit taller than krogan and wider too, and they greatly resembled krogan. In fact, if they were just a little shorter, one would assume the machines were actually suits of armour, as they resembled nothing else.

They had been attacked by several of these machines and though they were strong (taking little to no damage from biotic attacks), they were weak against basic, close range attacks like swords and once an opening was made, the circuits could easily be fried and there didn't seem to be any back-up system if the were suddenly shut down.

They were clever in design, whoever had taken the time to design and built these clearly knew what they were doing, however they seemed to lack the basic insight battle gave warriors. Perhaps if they had this insight they would have taken into consideration Omni Blades.

"Is that the last of them?" Grunt asked.

"Yes," she replied. "Ten in total."

"The others are reporting similar numbers," Grunt replied, checking his Omni-tool. "Seven were found in the north, twelve in the east and just five in the north."

"This was a carefully planned attack," Sif observed. "I'm starting to think Aeacus didn't kill Isandro."

"Yeah, same here..." Grunt replied. "Whoever planted these machines had the knowledge we would search these areas for Aeacus, chances are the machines were in the area, waiting for us and then closed in when they detected our presence."

"So does that mean whoever planned this purposefully freed Aeacus and then murdered Isandro in order to pin the murder on Aeacus?" Sif asked.

"It makes sense," Grunt replied. "Any team of our size would go in teams of two to the four directions, its basic protocol, and blaming Aeacus - who already was imprisoned - was far easier than pinning it on another member of the team as they would all have had alibis."

"Then where is Aeacus?" she asked.

Grunt couldn't answer, because he had no idea who was responsible. Whoever wanted them dead was capable of creating these rather formidable machines and knew who Aralakh Company was; they had access to restricted information. It was likely the assailant had hacked the information; Grunt didn't doubt a creator of such machines couldn't hack a database even Faust could break through.

Which just left two questions - who and why?

Grunt's Omni-tool lit up with two new messages; he read them once before bringing up a line of communication and ordering his men into action. He then rushed out of the temple with Sif at his side. They hailed a cab and flew away from the ruins, heading north, towards the edge of the city.

"What's happened?" Sif asked. "Why were you ordering Steel and Shay'kera to the hospital?"

"Giger's been shot," Grunt replied through gritted teeth. "He's at the hospital right now."

"Then why aren't we going there?" she asked.

"Because Faust's ship has crashed just at the edge of the city," Wrex answered. "And she knows who is doing all of this."

Faust knows? What had she been doing on Omega all this time? It didn't really matter, she supposed, all that mattered was getting to Faust and getting the information before anything happened to her. First Giger being shot and then Faust crashing?

That was too great a tragedy to be a coincidence. Giger had been shot because he had the information and now the attacker was attempting to eliminate Faust before she could give Aralakh Company the information they needed. Sif clenched her fists tightly.

They needed to hurry, before the assailant found Faust and finished her off.

_To Be Continued..._

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_NOTE: I just want to say thank you to all the new followers and for all the reviews. I apologize, as well, for not responding to a lot of reviews. I'll try to answer more often in the future. It means a lot to know so many people read and enjoy my work :)_


	24. And They Fall Part III

**Chapter Twenty-Four: And They Fall Part III**

A ship appeared over the planet of Tuchanka, a small vessel that was not designed for fight, rather flight, like many other of Faust's ships. This ship, however, was not her usual mode of transportation and was, in fact, a gift from Aria.

Things had settled well, though perhaps a little too bumpy for her liking, and it seemed her life had taken a good turn. That is, until the message she sent to Giger was not responded to. Knowing him he would have been checking his inbox until he got a message, but after so long without a reply she had grown worried.

She knew his delayed response perhaps had something to do with the information she had passed along, she had uncovered this threat and now knew the enemy's name and in trying to aid Giger with the information she may have caused his demise.

She'd rather not think of it that way, there was always hope in this dark universe.

She re-entered Tuchanka's atmosphere and was soon ordered by local authorities to remain in orbit, as the ports were closed under orders from the Senate. She considered ignoring them, but she knew if the ports were closed then she was too late, Giger had not received her information and something had happened to him.

Going into battle, with this kind of rage, would benefit no one but the enemy. The best thing she could do was wait in orbit and send the information to Grunt, at least then she would have a better chance of success. She brought up her terminal, preparing to send the message, when her screen turned red and an angry looking skull appeared on her terminal.

It was then her entire circuit board shut down and she fell out of orbit. She sent out a warning to the authorities, which quickly reached Wrex who then informed Grunt and the others. She just hoped she didn't die in the crash and it wasn't too badly damaged to send information.

She tried to reactivate her controls, to no avail, and then tried the emergency back-up system. The controls activated, though with half the necessary power. It wasn't enough to slow her landing, but maybe enough to control her landing and get away from the public.

She set her course and her ship rocked, having hit some kind of satellite, and she began to spiral down. As the fall increased, the heat surrounding her ship intensified and her screen cracked. An emergency warning filled the cockpit, warning her of the inevitable oxygen breach.

"Shit, shit, shit!" she hissed.

She didn't have time to get a helmet, she would just have to hope the barrier held in for now. Her descent speed increased again and soon she was passed the stratosphere and passed through the clouds. She could see the city. She yanked her wheel and the ship pulled up sharply. It seemed her automatic guidance system had failed also.

She would have to fly this thing out of danger herself. Curving away and up from the city, the ship rocked as its plating began to peel and snap off. This ship wasn't a cruiser; it wasn't built for these kinds of speed or for this kind of damage.

She brought up her map and searched for the best spot to land. North, of course, towards the border where the dry plains were. She changed direction, heading north, and her engines cut out. She dipped then rose as she yanked her wheel once more. She passed over the city and came to the dry plains and fell out of the sky.

She didn't have enough cushioning to spare her death, which just left her biotics. She created a ball of energy around her, praying this would work. Her ship struck the ground hard, and then flipped, flying through the air before crashing into the ground and rolling before it came to an abrupt stop.

Faust deactivated her shield, touching her forehead where she felt blood. The shield had worked, though she had been thrown about in her own shield and hit several sharp things. She examined her marks and cuts, nothing fatal.

She got up from the floor, where she now found herself, and sat in her chair. She checked her terminal, noticing it struggle to come back online. Her systems were destroyed; the terminal's internal systems would have to fix itself.

She tried to stand, but her legs gave out. She would have to wait for now, with the ship's crash a distress signal would be sent out and soon Aralakh Company would be here and she could tell them what had happened and give them the information herself.

"Damn it..." she gasped. "This isn't good. That little bastard tried to kill me..."

There was a sound, a knocking at the side of the ship, and a biotic ball blasted through the dented wall. She scowled, trying again to stand if she was to have any chance of defeating this intruder. Hands gripped the broken edges of the hole and tore a larger opening, large enough for a krogan.

...

The cab came in low and landed just beyond the crash, the flames of the ship flickering and rising up. The driver was quick to leave the two krogan and head the other way, pretending he didn't see the crashed ship or the two armoured krogan eager to inspect the sight.

Sif ran towards the crash, her biotic shield still pulsing. Grunt paused, knowing for certain that whoever caused this crash would have had some kind of contingency plan. There was no guarantee Faust died in that crash, this terrorist must have known that, so where was Plan B?

"Sif, wait-"

She stopped at the jagged hole, ignoring Grunt. She raised her fist, probably not the most dangerous of weapons with anyone else, but with a krogan and biotic it was potentially more dangerous than any gun. Grunt raised his weapon, knowing for sure her raised fist was aimed at someone.

"Come out," Sif ordered. "Slowly, hands behind your head."

The figure obeyed, slowly stepping out from the jagged hole and with his hands behind his head, as Sif had instructed. Grunt came closer, for a better look of the krogan in the ship, and he felt his earlier doubts shattered by the sight of Aeacus.

"What are you doing here?" Grunt demanded.

A figure appeared before Aeacus, outstretching her arms in defence. Faust. Sif hesitated, her fist wavering, and even the tip of Grunt's weapon tilted to the side. Faust had blood on her, but her wounds were not clear, it seemed she had received the cooling touch of some Medi-gel.

"Aeacus came to treat my wounds," she said.

"How do we know we can trust him?" Grunt asked. "How did he know to find you?"

"Because the one responsible for all this is the one who freed him," Faust explained. "Aeacus' story matches what I found. The enemy came to Aeacus in hopes he would join them and Aeacus refused - but not without first learning of what had happened to me. He came to save me to make sure you received my information."

"Why didn't he tell us himself?" Sif asked.

"Everyone thought I was a murder suspect," Aeacus answered. "I couldn't leave without being thrown in jail and even then there'd be no guarantee that you would believe me. I needed evidence so I stuck with the enemy until I had enough information."

"Who _is_ responsible then?" Grunt asked. "You haven't said his name once."

Faust lowered her arms. She sighed heavily, the news she was about to deliver was not pleasant, and she didn't know how Grunt would react to the betrayal. Howver she couldn't baby him or spare his feelings. He needed the truth, no matter how sharply it cut or how deep.

"It was Monger."

There was a delay, the short pause before the acceptance that Grunt was struggling to accept. Monger? How could that be? He had been in a cryo-state for who knows how long, how could he have orchestrated such a plan? Unless...

"You've figured it out yet?" Faust said. "Monger tricked you. He hasn't been in any kind of cryo-state, it was all part of his plan to get to _you!_"

"Me?" Grunt repeated. "Why me? What have I ever done to him? I only just met him."

"Take me to Giger first!" Faust demanded. "Something's happened to him, he hasn't responded to my messages."

"He's in the hospital," Sif replied. "He was shot - by Monger, it seems."

Faust considered that for a moment, though her face was cold her eyes portrayed her hurt. She seemed to handle such situations well and agreed to talk as they went. Her ship had by now drawn some attention and police had swarmed on the scene to contain the situation, and under Grunt's authority they managed to commandeer a vehicle and took it to the hospital.

There was a brief moment when Grunt wondered if it was worth leaving Aeacus with the authorities or taking him with them, while he didn't trust Aeacus after everything that happened, Faust could confirm his story and he possibly had some more information that Faust didn't. For now, he was valuable.

During the flight to the hospital Faust told them what she had discovered.

"When Monger was completed Okeer considered him nearly perfect, the success of his project, however Okeer decided to try one more time to see if there was anything more he could do. The result was you. Okeer didn't want to get rid of Monger, sure he would have some use, and decided to use him as your guard."

"My guard?" Grunt said. "What does that mean, he would look after me?"

"Okeer uses the word 'guard', but I know he means servant," Faust explained. "Monger was supposed to serve you, but Monger had other ideas. There are some audio files I'll show you later, but it's mostly Monger claiming he is the 'supreme krogan' and that you are not worthy."

"That explains the 'personality flaw'," Sif said.

"Right, it's why Okeer gave him to the Broker in exchange for the Broker never coming after Grunt," Faust added. "Monger served under the Broker until Shepard killed him and replaced him, Monger then went into hiding and his whereabouts during that time are unknown. It's seems during his time underground he began to develop robotic krogan as a replacement for real krogan."

"We've met them," Grunt said. "They've still got a few kinks."

"Not surprising when Monger had little time to finish them," Faust answered. "When he discovered that you was awake and serving alongside Shepard he sped up his work, but with little resources he barely had anything and then the Reapers struck, delaying him again. He finished his project some months ago and had them shipped here in secret and rebuilt them. He then sent the corrupted Okeer files to my source and put himself in stasis, waiting for you to find him."

"Wait, wait!" Grunt said. "All this planning and preparation just so I could find him? If he feels like he's superior then fine - but don't get my friends involved!"

"He wants you dead, Grunt, but first he wants to hurt you," Faust explained. "He hurts your friends in revenge for Shepard killing the Broker."

"Then why doesn't he kill Shepard?" Sif asked. "If she is his goal-"

"He'd never get close enough," Faust replied, "especially not now with talks of her becoming the Human Councillor. Grunt's friends, however, are easier to get too."

The hospital came into sight and a silence fell and lasted until they parked the vehicle and entered the hospital. Faust was given directions and ran out of sight, heading up to Giger's room. Grunt paused before following, still not comfortable with Aeacus, but decided now was not the time.

Faust entered the room and stopped. There was no krogan in the bed, only a nurse. Steel was speaking with the nurse, while Shay was absent. Faust's mind began to spin, her skin turning a sickly green as the worst possible scenario crept into her mind.

Steel spotted Faust and saw how she turned green. He rushed over to her and grabbed her, sitting her down in a chair.

"Giger's fine," Steel said. "They had to run some scans and now they've moved him to another room."

"Scans?" she asked. "What happened? He didn't reply to my messages so I knew he was hurt-"

"He... was shot," Steel replied, "in the back of the head. There's no internal damage, but the fracture made in his crests gave his body a nasty shock. From what the nurse said he's going to have a pretty ugly hole, but he'll be fine once he wakes up."

She seemed to go limp with relief, falling forwards into Steel's chest.

"Good," she whispered. "Good." She lifted her head and turned to Grunt, all tenderness gone, like flower crushed by frost. "Now I want you to find Monger and kill him."

...

Monger sat waiting in a dark room, a large terminal behind him showed a number in bold characters. He had noticed that the number had decreased since early that day, he accounted it to the destruction of his prototype fighter robots.

He hadn't expected much from them, being prototypes, but they had done their objective - distracted Aralakh Company while he saw to Giger and got rid of that damn meddling human. He had never expected she would be such a problem, and though he hoped the crash had killed her, he knew better.

Grunt was on his way and he would probably kill him, or arrest him, whichever. Death would be an inconvenience, so jail would be his best option. He just had to ensure his plan worked. Grunt had to look deep inside of him and see they were not so different and then -

The front door exploded, shards of debris flying forwards and cutting into the ground. Dust filled the air, bringing forth a lingering stench that spoke of decay. Grunt stepped through the thick cloud, his fists hot with a fiery biotic flame that blazed brighter at the sight of Monger who sat with a shield around him.

Not a single shard of debris had hit him. Grunt couldn't decide if that was better, perhaps if the debris had killed Monger then he could have avoided this whole confrontation. No, that was the wrong way of thinking. Monger was a criminal who had attempted to kill two of his friends, he had to be dealt with.

"Where are the others?" Monger asked. "I expected you to come alone, so what did you tell your friends to keep them away?"

"Half of them are outside," Grunt answered. "They're making sure _you_ don't get away if things turn sour."

"And the other half?" Monger asked. "Looking for the rest of my robots?"

"The krogan who claims to be perfect creating machines to replace those who are seen as inferior," Grunt remarked. "Aren't living soldiers good enough?"

"No," Monger replied. "They bleed, they worry, they regret. Machines just do without fear of consequence or love for others."

"So following those rules then you are as imperfect as anyone, including me," Grunt said.

Monger scowled, and it was like watching a photograph twisted by heat, burning and warping the features until the previous face was unrecognizable. The cool and calm Monger was gone, this thing before Grunt was the real Monger - the angry, desperate krogan with a bagfull of insecurities.

"I am better than you," Monger growled. "I was to be Okeer's perfect soldier and then you-"

"Don't blame me!" Grunt snapped. "I'm not to blame for your insecurities! Okeer created both of us, he chose to create me because he wasn't happy with you! If anyone's to blame it's Okeer - but he's dead and you can't accept that he wanted you to serve me."

"I am no one's slave!" Monger snarled.

"Exactly!" Grunt said. "You're not my slave or Okeer or the Broker's. Even if you had accepted your fate you never would have been my slave, because I never would have met you because of Shepard. Even if we had met, she would never have let me use you like that..."

Monger's shield flickered. Grunt's words were having an effect on him and even if Monger didn't take them to heart it didn't matter. All Grunt needed was for Monger to lower his shield. Again the shield danced and faded and from the dark a red light appeared and a shot fired.

Monger fell to the ground, clutching his arm. Grunt swore under his breath - damn Aeacus, how could he miss such a good shot? Monger got to his feet and charged, swinging a biotic-charged fist. Grunt blocked, but the force pushed him back.

He threw up a biotic shield and blocked another hit, returning with a sharp blow to the jaw. Monger staggered and fired a small shot, Grunt ducked and behind him the wall exploded. Debris and dust filled the air again and Monger dissapeared into the gloom. Grunt charged forwards, stepping out from the cloud, and several more shots were fired. Grunt dodged each fast ball, trying to locate Monger in the all the chaos.

From his perch across the street Aeacus changed his scope and aimed, seeking out Monger. He spotted Grunt easily, the one running and dodging, and then he spotted Monger who's body temperature was so high from the fire of his biotics. Monger raised his hand, ready to fire another shot, and Aeacus aimed and fired.

Monger was struck in the hand and there was a bright flash of blue light and a scream. The dust settled and Grunt stepped towards the figure lying on the floor. Monger clutched his hand, or rather, the stump where his hand should be. Sticky blood dripped from the ragged wound and pooled around his arm. He hissed in pain, clutching his wrist.

"Stay still," Grunt said. "I'll come for help."

"No!" Monger hissed. "I'm not going to accept help from you or those inferior creatures!"

"You'll die," Grunt insisted.

A biotic shield flared up, knocking Grunt back and stumbling to the floor. Monger struggled to his feet, still clutching his stump. It was a horrible sight, like the ends of shredded paper all bundled together and sticky. Monger gasped from the pain and considered his situation.

He wasn't sure how it happened, but he was gathering such an intense amount of power in one hand that the pain interrupted him and caused him to lose control. Unable to go forwards as the directive was lost, the power had nowhere else to go but back, and biotic power only had a one-way flow.

Having one hand would cause difficulties and soon he would pass out from the pain. He only had one option left, something he never considered in his early stages of planning. Strange, why had he never considered escape an option?

Monger smiled weakly, "Next time I'm going to be sure you have no friends to save you."

He raised his arm, showing the great biotic power in his hand, and punched the ground. The floor trembled and broke, fissures raising up like angry gods that separated the ground and divided the sons of Okeer. The floor crumbled and Grunt dived out the window, using a biotic boost to cross the distance and broke through the glass of a window next door, rolling across the floor and hitting the wall.

He jumped up and ran to the window, watching as his team ran from the building as the windows shattered from the pressure of the collapsing building. The floors crumbled in on themselves, the roof buckled and the building came down with a loud and explosive **'boom'** that shook the ground and filled the air with thick clouds of dust.

His comm buzzed. Shay'kera was quick to check on him.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the building next door," Grunt replied. "Did everyone get out?"

"Yes," she replied. "But there's no sign of Monger."

"We'll need to wait for the area to be given the OK then we'll go search for him," Grunt ordered.

"Do you think he's really alive?" Shay asked. "If he wasn't crushed death then he's trapped in there somewhere."

"Let's hope we're that lucky," Grunt said.

Grunt looked once more at the remains of the building and he remembered one of his early thoughts. Back on Illium when he looked at Monger in that glass case Grunt wondered if he had been 'imperfect' would things have been different.

He considered that question again - would things have been different? If the situation was reversed, would Monger had ever become this thing that sought to erase all Grunt loved just because of something someone else had decided?

Monger was never going to be Grunt's slave, Monger and Shepard's intervention had made sure of that. Yet Monger defined his whole life on this idea as if Okeer's words were law, as if he was god. Then again, to tank borns, Okeer was god.

But did that mean he defined their existence? What kind of god was Okeer, merciful or kind? In this world now their god was dead and his followers were living as they chose, except for one apostle who continued to define a law that fate had already prevented.

_To Be Continued..._

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_And so ends this little story arc. Sorry for the slow update and if any confusion was created by the change of name, but I wasn't happy with my previous pen name and I felt it was time for a change. I hoped you enjoyed this newest chapter and stick around for more :)_


	25. After the Fall

_Hello to all the new followers, I'd name you all but I'm afraid I'll miss someone out. I'm just glad you've taken the time to read my story and know I love you :) Also, I'm considering putting up Faust and Giger's story; it's why I included this particular beginning. However I'm not sure how well it would do or how people would respond. Tell me how you feel about that._

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**Chapter Twenty-Five: After the Fall**

_Six Years Ago, Tuchanka_

_Giger lay bleeding on the ground of Clan Tase'la, he felt the wound that cut diagonally across his body. The blade had torn through his armour and his hide, but oddly enough he felt the wound was not life threatening. He was more in shock than anything, being hit by a biotic-infused blade did have that effect on people. _

_If that was true, if the blade wasn't deep, why had Steel spared his life? Giger had kidnapped Ryo, he threatened to kill Steel as part of his vengeance, yet Ryö had fooled them all and now Giger was lying on the floor._

_Ryö was a clever turian, she had purposely allowed herself to be kidnapped in order to bring the two brothers into contact and force them to resolve their issues. And now what? Steel was gone with Ryö after sparing his brother's life, but what was left for Giger?_

_His vision began to fade, the shock of his wound finally dragging him under, and as things turned dark he saw a figure approach him. She just appeared, like a flash of light. A human dressed all in white, just like what the humans referred to as an 'angel'._

_..._

_Now, Shepard Memorial Hospital_

Giger slowly woke, feeling a grinding pain in the back of his head, like a terrible migraine. His vision was blinded by the sheer white glare of the room, but there was a cool breeze rolling in and it soothed him. It reminded him of when Faust took him to a beach and was lulled to sleep by the lapping of the waves.

Slowly his senses returned, the room took shape and the cool breeze eased the ache of his muscles enough for him to attempt to sit up. He failed, but the fact he could move informed him he was still capable of movement. He was not finished yet.

It took him a moment to realize where he was, but the room became familiar and with this familiarity came the memory of what happened. He remembered worrying about Faust, going to his apartment and then being shot in the back of his head.

He was a little surprised he had survived, another stroke of luck, it seems. He counted all the times he had almost died and came to a nice even count of six, not including everything that had happened whilst working under Grunt.

He raised his head with some ease and spotted Faust asleep on the chair beside his bed and Grunt sat in another chair opposite. Grunt smiled, glad to see Giger awake, and quickly left to retrieve a glass of water. He returned some seconds later, a nurse with him, and handed Giger the glass.

"How long have I been out?" he asked.

"About a week," the nurse replied. "The fired shot didn't break through all your layers of crests, but what it did break through messed up the nerve endings and sent you into shock. Some of the nerve endings are irreparable, but it won't cause any serious long term damage other than slight occasional migraine-like pains."

"Like I'm feeling now?" he asked.

"Yes, but they can be treated with medication," she said. "For now you are to remain in our care until we've run all our tests, then you are free to go."

She had a quick word with Grunt, who was now Giger's career alongside Steel. All he had to do was keep an eye on Giger, make sure he took his medication and be wary of any lapses in his health. The nurse then promptly left, having others to attend to.

Giger took a sip of his water, he hadn't realized how parched he was. The cool liquid eased his sore throat and gave him an almost refreshing wake up, which made him wonder if Faust had been with him this whole time, never leaving for any food or drink.

"You pulled a weird face just now while you were sleeping," Grunt remarked. "Dreaming, was you?"

"Just remembering a... weird time in my life," Giger remarked. "So what happened? Who's the bastard who shot me and killed Isandro? Was it Aeacus?"

Grunt grabbed the chair and brought it forwards, sitting beside his brother.

"It wasn't Aeacus," Grunt said. "It was Monger."

"Monger?" Giger gasped. "Why? We let him out of stasis and Isandro tried to help him."

There was a lot to explain, so Grunt was quick about it. He told Giger that Monger was another Okeer project who wanted revenge against Grunt, that he had created krogan-like mechs to replace real soldiers and tried to kill both him and Faust when she uncovered important information concerning Monger.

Giger didn't appreciate Monger's attempt on Faust's life.

"We're still searching for some kind of body after the building collapsed," Grunt added. "But there's nothing, not even a blood trail."

"I don't like that," Giger scowled. "Without a body I won't sleep well."

"I know the feeling," Grunt said. "The same can't be said for Faust."

Giger turned to her and smiled. She still rested peacefully, somehow. She had always been like that, no trouble ever seemed to keep her awake. No, that wasn't strictly true. She worried, worse than he did, but she never let him know just how much she was suffering and never asked for help.

She thought she could handle everything and often she could, but bearing weight alone would eventually take its toil until you collapsed from the weight. Giger knew just how that felt.

"Speaking of Faust, why isn't she your career?" Grunt asked. "She is your partner. I thought these kinds of things fell automatically to partners."

"My partner of almost six years," Giger said proudly. "But that doesn't mean anything. We signed some hospital forms some years back after an accident, but neither of us is qualified to be carers because we're not married."

"That's stupid," Grunt said. "If something happens and there's no family..."

Grunt automatically looked to Faust, though he hadn't meant to. He remembered what she once told him about her father, how he was cruel to her mother and sisters, how Faust had pretended to be a boy in order to escape her father. Was Faust even in contact with her family?

"Did she tell you about her father?" Giger asked. "I guess she did, you wouldn't look at her like that if you didn't know."

"She told last year, when we went to see Shay after Skoll revealed her heritage," Grunt asked. "What happened to her father and her family? She doesn't talk about them so I assume she doesn't have any contact."

"Faust's father died some years after she ran away from home," Giger replied. "Her mother remarried some years later while her sisters went on to do various things - one's dead from a Red Sand overdose, another is a prostitute, while one is a soldier and the oldest is a happy house wife on Illium."

"You forgot about Sparrow."

They turned to her, both wondering how long Faust had been awake for. She stretched, working a kink out of her back, and once loosened up she touched Giger's face. She was pleased to see him awake, always fearing that perhaps he would never awaken.

"Who the hell is Sparrow?" Giger asked. "You've never mentioned her."

"Because I only just discovered her," Faust laughed.

"What?" Giger gasped.

"When I went to see Aria she was having trouble with a group of thieves known as The Nest," Faust replied. "I had somewhat straightened things out with her at this point so I went to see to this problem, and then discovered Sparrow was my sister. My remarried mother managed to pop out one more daughter before dying."

"How did you find out she was your sister?" Grunt asked.

"She had been injured and left a blood sample," Faust replied. "A quick check showed we were related."

"So things with Aria are fine?" Giger asked. "No more sneaking around, no more aliases?"

"We're fine now," Faust assured him.

He relaxed in his bed, seeming so light as if a great weight had been removed. Grunt watched them both and again he wondered what had happened between them and Aria, what was so bad that they were forced to change their names when necessary and hide on Equality?

Faust laughed suddenly and patted Grunt's head. "Poor guy, he wants to know," she said. "I suppose it's safe to trust you with it, considering it's now over with."

"And he's family," Giger added.

"You know family doesn't mean much to me," she replied, "but if it means so much to you..." She shrugged. "Alright then. Story time."

...

Wrex stared into his coffee, watching bubbles rise only to pop and fade away to be forgotten, much like his own position, he supposed. He sometimes wondered what the history texts would write about him, if he would be painted as a good leader or one who desperately clutched at the seams.

More recently he had begun to wonder what his son would think of him in years to come. He didn't want his son to hate him as Wrex hated his father. There was no guarantee this Golden Age would last and if it did eventually come to an end, what then?

Perhaps he was just being pessimistic, as there was just something about sitting alone in your office, staring at a drink, that made you awful depressed.

His terminal lit up with Krill's face. Aeacus had a nice send off, with the whole of Aralakh Company (minus one coma-induced Giger) and many Senators attending the service. He had been buried within the new cemetery with hero rights, but Krill had been very upset and used work as a distraction.

"A surprise guest has come to see you," he said.

"Guest?" Wrex repeated. "Who?"

"If I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise," Krill teased.

Wrex sighed, "Alright, send them in."

Krill smirked and his face vanished off screen. A second later the door opened and Wrex's day got a little brighter. Wrex rose to meet Shepard and gave her a hug. Councillor Shepard, formerly Commander, had become council member a week after the Normandy memorial, as expected.

Garrus had settled well into his role as a trophy husband, but could never sit still for long and so had accepted a role from Palaven that had him ensure relations between all the races remained stable. Currently he was seeing to the krogan/batarian alliance that had grown stronger since the repair of the batarian society.

Normally Shepard had a small army of security to follow her around, occasionally including Samara and Kasumi, who still enjoyed working with their ex-commander. Wrex had not seen Shepard since the memorial, they had last talked over the phone, but that wasn't the same.

He let her down and she took a seat.

Her councillor's gown was very much like her old officer's uniform, only with more medals. Her prosthetics didn't take anything away from her prowess and she had even continued to keep her hair short, just as he remembered her and just how he how liked it.

"I wasn't expecting to see you," he said.

"I was on my way to the new batarian home world and decided to stop by here first," she said. "I wanted to talk - and I mean, talk. The last few times I've seen you has always been at parties, I wanted time to just see you."

"Saying stuff like that will get people talking," he teased.

"Oh, let them," she said. "We had enough of that back on the old Normandy."

"From Alenko, mostly," he added with a grunt.

"Let Alenko talk," she said. "It didn't necessarily stop us from having fun."

"No, that's true," he said. "My time on the Normandy was the most fun I had on any ship!"

He laughed loudly, remembering the practise sessions he shared with Shepard, the new things she taught him and the moves he showed her. He remembered the jokes, the long talks and that one night. She made time for all her team mates, a practise she continues to follow, but that one night they bonded in such they transcended friendship and entered a whole new realm of companionship.

Of course, when she died it put to rest any visions he had of any possible future together. And then when she did come back, after only a shred of hope remained, there was Garrus who was there to support her. Wrex may have been upset at first, but Shepard was happy and he focused on rebuilding his people.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

He wondered why she would put on such a serious tone all of a sudden, wondering what could be so bad she suddenly seemed so business-like. He gestured for her to go ahead.

"Are you happy?"

"Happy? Of course!" he said. "Have you seen my planet? My son? My people? We have never been this great and my son will never have to look down in disgust at what his father has become."

"You really didn't answer my question," she said. "I know things are great for you - you're a good leader, the state of Tuchanka is proof of that, but are _you_ happy with your life? Does Bakara make you happy?"

Ah, there it was.

Shepard hadn't forgotten about that night either, not surprisingly, considering it would be difficult to forget sharing one's bed with someone so big. What they had now was better than friendship, almost like an understanding but deeper.

While they could not be together, with Shepard in love with Garrus, she still wanted to ensure he was happy with the woman he had made a child with and decided to spend his life with.

Krogan's traditionally mated for life, though divorces were allowed. With his current position, politically it would serve him best to stay faithful and married. But what was best for one's political career did not mean it was best for one's health and honestly, Wrex had never actually stopped to consider what his life with Bakara had been like thus far.

"I... enjoy her company," he answered. "She is intelligent, witty and an excellent mother. But do I love her? I only mated with her because she was the best choice being a Shaman and a product of my campaign to cure the Genophage, so I can't say I do."

"Then maybe forcing you two to stay together is not good for either of you," she said. "You may end up resenting her and she you."

"I want to try, Shepard," he said. "I can't let my son be forced to choose between us."

"Bakara is not the type to use him as a weapon," she said. "But I think there's more to this. What are you afraid of?"

Wrex looked at her, silently, and didn't dare answer. He knew why, as foolish as it was. He did love Bakara, but because she was the mother of the Golden Age and the mother of his son. They would always be bonded, be dearest friends, but lovers for ever?

He just didn't know.

...

Grunt left the hospital late that evening, after hearing the tale of Faust and Giger and he was a little glad his life was not as complicated as theirs. Perhaps it was as bad as theirs, he had just never considered it that way. Or maybe he handled things better than expected.

He decided to return to his apartment, taking the long walk home in order to spend a few extras minutes to consider the Monger situation. He and Giger had briefly discussed it and while things seemed resolved, alone with his thoughts he returned to what Giger had said.

_"Without a body I won't sleep well."_

There had to be a body, something amongst the rubble, something to ease him to sleep. He found his legs taking him back to the sight, back to the destroyed lair of the war monger. There was no crew around, they had taken the afternoon off as the heat made it too difficult to work, especially for large krogan in heavy suits.

_You better be under there,_ he thought. _I don't care what condition you're in and I don't care how you died, but you're better off down there._

No one attacked his family, not even the members of it. If Monger knew what was good for him, he would stay buried beneath the pain he had caused.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Sorry for the super late chapter, but I have suffered through two art exams (both of which last ten hours) along with another art deadline and other revision for my upcoming exams. I'll try to stay on top of things for now on :)_


	26. Betrayed

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Betrayed**

Somewhere, below the earth, was a room that smelled of blood. It smelt of decay, of rust, of despair. It was a room for the fallen to hide, and here Monger added fuel to his rage as he allowed it to grow and consume. In the meantime he had his shredded wrist seen to.

Sweat glistened on his paled flesh as his companion cut away the dead, decaying flesh. His companion did not want to say it, but Monger's time hidden in the sewers had caused an infection to spread. It was likely more of the arm would have to be cut away.

He looked up at Monger's strained expression, the krogan who had been hiding in the sewers, surviving on bad varren meat and sour, dirty water. He couldn't bring himself to tell Monger that the rest of the arm would have to be cut away, not when he had survived so far.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Monger gasped. "I can tell, my plates have softened and the flesh reeks."

"Everything from the elbow down must be cut off," his companion replied. "I have the necessary equipment, but not the right parts for any kind of prosthetic."

"Then you better get them," Monger growled. "And soon."

His companion nodded quickly, injected Monger with something he hoped would slow the infection, and quickly left. He know how much patience Monger had left within him, he had spent a week in darkness and now it would take some time for him to adjust to the new prosthetic.

It could take months, maybe a year, before Monger could fully use the prosthetic without pain or complications. Yet he knew Monger would not wait that long, he would be confined for that long while Grunt continued to live his life, as if mocking Monger, showing off the life had missed out on.

...

_Some Days Later_

Grunt returned from the rubble of the building, again wielding no news. Doubt had crept into his mind, he knew that if the body was not located soon then Monger was alive. It had already been a week and a half, yet Grunt still went to the site, waiting for a body to be brought to the surface.

He decided to return Aralakh's base for another annual update, it would serve as a good distraction. When he arrived he was surprised to see Aeacus sat beside Sif, after everything that had happened between them. Then again, Aeacus was making progress.

He was still a misogynist, you could tell by the way he mumbled whenever a female said something, but he was doing his best to not say his thoughts aloud and he had managed to avoid conflict entirely. He was still on strict probation, but if he continued with this new attitude he would soon be returned to regular duty.

"Anything new, Viv?" Wróg asked.

"I'm happy to say that there are no present dangers facing Tuchanka," she replied. "There are, however, some upcoming trips to Illium in which three of you will be assigned to guard Senator's Quash and Hailot."

"We've been demoted to guard duty?" Durak cried. "That seems a little beneath us, considering all we've done."

"This was expected," Adria said soothingly. "We can't expect Tuchanka to always be in danger, there will be times when we are unnecessary and then we eventually become obsolete. We have to accept that when that time comes we will go separate ways and serve our people in different ways."

"You sound very prepared," Steel remarked.

"I always am," she replied. "I always have a contingency plan. It helps to be prepared."

"Besides our peace, are there any updates on the Monger situation?" Aeacus asked.

Shay'kera glared at him, before giving a sideways glance to Grunt. She had never once mentioned Monger to him, because of all the times Monger had been mentioned Grunt would go off on a rant and proclaim how he was prepared to kill his tank-brother. She preferred to keep such murderous thoughts away from him.

"No word yet," Grunt replied. "The workers have continued to dig, but there is no sign of a body."

"Still?" Durak asked. "Then that must mean he's gone underground, right? Why haven't we gone looking in the sewers?"

"If he is in the sewers then infection would have killed him by now," Wróg retorted.

"Not if he's had help," Adria countered. "I don't believe a man with such goals did not have any help. Even when it came to building and placing the robots, there had to be someone."

"There's no evidence to suggest that," Wróg argued. "We need to find Monger's body and end this search."

"You make it sound easy," Shay grumbled.

"I sense this topic causes distress," Viv interjected. "Perhaps it's best we change our discussion."

"Yes," Shay agreed.

"No," Grunt argued. "Wróg is right, we need to find Monger's body and end this."

"You need to drop it," Shay snapped. "Monger isn't just _your_ problem - he's all of ours. Stop treating him like he's some kind of personal demon."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, with the awkward shared glance. Grunt glared at his girlfriend, not understanding how she could just forget about Monger. Of course he was a personal demon! He had gone out of his way to attack Grunt's friends and family, he couldn't sleep until he knew his family was safe.

"I get your angry at him," she said. "I know you want to keep me safe, but I'm not so defenceless that I'd stumble into a trap."

"This... it isn't about your safety..." Grunt argued weakly.

"It sort of us," Steel said. "I'm your brother and I know you care for the rest of your team, but it's Shay you're worried about. I get it, I would be the same if anyone went after Ryö, but you've got to relax a little."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll go down and search for his body," Wróg replied.

"I'll go with him," Aeacus offered. "He did try to frame me for murder and I'd like the satisfaction of finding his corpse."

"In the meantime, I advise a distraction," Viv added. "A medical storage facility has been robbed and, while it's slower paced to your usual assignments, it will take your mind off the Monger situation."

"Sounds like a good plan," Shay said. "I'll go with him."

"No, I think Shay should go with Wróg and Aeacus with Grunt," Steel said.

"Why?" Aeacus asked.

There was no insult, no further questioning, none of his usual attitude. Aeacus really had changed.

"You're hatred for Monger may cause problems," Steel explained. "Underground, that's even worse. Besides, you're doing so well around females now may be your chance to prove your worth."

Aeacus considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Good plan," he said.

Grunt wanted to argue, but how childish it would look when not even Aeacus rose to the debate? He decided to drop the subject and go ahead with Viv's suggestion, even if he did not entirely agree with it.

...

They drove in silence to the medical facility, located near the edge of the city of Weyrloc, which had become Tuchanka's main resource of medicine and medical advancements. Weyrloc, which had been one of Urdnot's greatest foes and home of the worst of the Blood Pack was now responsible for saving most of Tuchanka with its advancements in saving lives.

At the facility they were greeted by a young female krogan, the researcher who reported the break-in. She led them in, first stopping at several security clearances and one background check, before taking them to the sight of the break-in.

It was a fairly large room, filled with tightly locked draws and cabinets with double locks. One cabinet had been torn open, the security camera in the corner disabled, yet the door to the room showed no signs of interference. Whoever had broken in had clearance to the room, but not to the things contained within.

"When did this happen?" Grunt asked.

"Last night," she said. "However equipment had been going missing for around four days, nothing big, mostly parts and shielding and then this happened."

"What exactly is contained here?" Aeacus asked.

"Prosthetics," she said. "This company aligned themselves with an asari corporation after the Reaper Invasion and opened a division for creating prosthetics for soldiers. Our biggest achievement was Councillor Shepard's beautiful prosthetics."

"So a prosthetic was stolen?" Grunt asked.

"At first it was just the parts_ for_ a prosthetic, stolen over a number of days as I mentioned," she explained. "These parts made a basic layer, the skeleton to put it in better terms, along with shielding to protect the inner layer. But then yesterday a fully operational prosthetic was stolen, like they got tired of trying to make one to fit specifics."

A thought struck Grunt. "This stolen prosthetic, who would it fit?" he asked.

"A krogan," she replied.

"The door doesn't seem to be broken," Aeacus observed. "Any idea who would have access to this sector?"

"Our night guard," she said. "The locks respond to DNA samples, he would have access to the room but not the equipment."

"Then why haven't you called to ask about this incident?" Grunt asked.

"Because..." she sighed, "he's missing. We've called and went over to his apartment, but no one can get hold of him."

Grunt considered the facts and, maybe because he was still thinking of Monger, everything happening right now seemed to go back to the Monger situation. His hand had been destroyed and if infection had settled he would have lost more of the limb, therefore calling upon the need of a prosthetic.

It also supported Adria's theory that he was having help, but from who? Surely not the night guard, he was a resident of Weyrloc so it would have been difficult for Monger to remain in contact with him if Monger was truly hiding in the sewers. Which meant the guard was either dead, or captured.

If all this was true, then it meant Monger was alive.

"The only real evidence of a culprit is some distorted visual footage taken before the surveillance was taken down," she said.

"That's perfect," Grunt said. "If you transfer the file over we'll try to repair it and begin the investigation."

"Thanks," she smiled. "I'd appreciate having this sorted very soon. It was our new model that was stolen."

...

They sat in the cab, Grunt trying to fix the damaged footage while Aeacus informed Viv of the information they had received. It was unlikely they would continue with this case, but what they had found out would help whatever authority would see to the case.

Aeacus turned to Grunt, checking his progress. He had managed to clear some of the distortion, however there was something wrong, he just wasn't sure what. This wasn't like normal distortion, it was a little too clean, but then again it could just mean the thief was sloppy.

He wiped away the layers of distortion, which took some time, then pieced back together the footage. There was no audio, which meant it must have been removed. In the end what he got was a minute clip, the colours tinted from the interference, but it should be enough.

He pressed play.

The footage showed the room from an angle that indicated the camera was above the cabinet that had been broken into. Rather convenient. For a moment there was nothing, then a figure walked across the room. They stopped in the centre of the room, as if considering something, then strode over to the cabinet.

They examined it before raising a biotic-fuelled fist and slammed it into the cabinet, tearing the corner back as easily as opening a tin can. They rummaged inside and pulled out a cylinder tube. Grunt paused the footage, staring in silence at the thief.

The figure was unclear, but clearly krogan, and even with the terrible quality his crests were so clear. They shouldn't jump to conclusions, not without getting a clear image of the thief's face, but those dark purple crests were unmistakable.

Wróg.

...

Deep within the underground tunnels of Urdnot, Shay and Wróg were going deeper and deeper into the dark heart of the world beneath their own. They had come in through the hole created by the building's collapse and with one end blocked, the only possible way was forwards.

Using a map of the underground they began to narrow down the possible holes Monger could hide. If he was alive then he would want a place fairly clean, to prevent serious infections and rising any foul creature, and out of the way from sewer workers.

The only possible destination was an old tunnel intersection several miles in. It was a large space once used for workers to cut across miles of tunnel to reach a location sooner. After the Genophage the intersection became a den for those trying to escape the plague, then it became a pit for Blood Pack until several years ago when the intersection was all but destroyed, leaving only one entrance that was sealed behind a large metal door.

"As good a place as any for a pyjack to hide," she scowled.

"Are you mad at Monger or Grunt?" Wróg asked.

She turned to him, shining her light in his face. He squinted, but didn't object. He knew what it was like to have a partner in a bad mood, how difficult it was to get them to cooperate. When Isandro died Krill had been withdrawn, despite Isandro's earlier mistakes he had become attached to the krogan, despite Wróg's reservations and occasional jolts of envy.

"I want to say I'm mad at Monger," she said, "but really a part of me is mad at Grunt. I know it's selfish to be that way, but he doesn't need to bear the world and its problem on his shoulders."

"Shepard did," Wróg retorted.

"Shepard had her team mates, her lover," she countered. "She bared the world, but when it came to depending on others she didn't hesitate. Grunt is a good leader, but he has a lot to learn."

"Then tell him," Wróg said. "When this is all over just sit down and tell him how you feel."

She considered it, knowing his idea of talking was a lot better than any alternative. They carried on for another twelve or so minutes, then they came across the intersection. The large steel door was tall and wide and contained a much smaller door, allowing for people, instead of trains, to pass through.

Wróg went to the door, bringing up his Omni-tool as he scanned the inside. Shay covered him, her one hand on her gun as she looked down the other end of the tunnel, noticing the lights faded near the bottom where it had been blocked off some years earlier.

"It's empty," he said. "There are traces of a heat signature, which means someone has been here recently."

"That same person could come back," she said, "but we can't turn down this opportunity. Get the door open."

Wróg obeyed, seeing to the automated lock. Shay opened her Omni-tool as he worked. She had to inform Grunt of this new development, while it seemed like a bad decision to further ignite his rage, he would be even angrier if they found something and didn't tell him.

"We've come to the intersection," she said. "No guarantee Monger's in there, but Wróg and I-"

"No, don't!" Grunt cried.

"What?" she asked. "Why?"

"Because Wróg-"

The door to the intersection opened and a shot was fired, catching Shay in the shoulder and sending her to the ground. Wróg watched as Shay fell, then his eyes darted into the darkness of the intersection and there he saw the scarred war monger, rising from the darkness like a dark phoenix.

"You stay right there," he hissed at Shay. "I need you, if I'm going to kill that bastard."

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_I decided to go ahead with the Faust and Giger story, so here is the first chapter. I'd appreciate if anyone would leave a review. It will also be rated M, for violence, language and themes. LINK: s/9290566/1/Beaten-Pyjacks  
_


	27. One

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: One**

The cab sped down the street, honking at by passers to move as it was not going to slow down. It took sharp turns, almost striking the side of buildings, and ignored stop signs. Aeacus sat in the passenger seat, holding on for dear life.

He should tell Grunt to slow down, that if he didn't they were going to end up killing someone, but the look on Grunt's face told him now was not a good time. He had just learned his team mate had betrayed him, his girlfriend was in the hands of someone who hated him, and Monger was still alive.

The last thing he heard before Shay's message was cut short was a gun going off. That piercing sound, it seemed to shatter all of reality and push aside any doubts he had that Monger was dead. Monger was alive, he had Shay'kera and was doing things he didn't want to even think about and Wróg was responsible for it all.

He knew where she was, the last transmission she sent was long enough for him to get a fix on his location. He hadn't told the rest of Aralakh yet, they were not his priority at the moment. Aeacus didn't question his leader's decision.

It was better this way, just the two them. It made things simpler, cleaner. They didn't have to worry about Krill overacting, taking it as he saw it, or worry about Giger wanting revenge for Faust's injuries or anyone else getting involved and making a mess of it.

...

Shay awoke, not realizing she had even be unconscious, and found herself facing Wróg. He was sat opposite, staring at her with the oddest expression. It took her a moment to realize she had a bloody lip, perhaps that's why she couldn't remember being knocked out - someone had blind-sided her with a punch.

"I'm sorry," Wróg said.

"Sorry?" she hissed. "Now you're sorry, after what you've done?"

Monger appeared behind Wróg, looking worse than he did just hours earlier. He was paler, sickly, and sweating. His prosthetic looked rushed, she could see gaps within the paneling and she was certain some wires were crossed judging by the blood leaking from some areas.

"You look like shit," she said with a strained laugh.

"I've run out of painkillers," he said, as if the answer was obvious. "Maybe I should make it part of your boyfriend's deal - you in exchange for drugs."

"What deal?" she said. "You haven't made any deal."

"You've been unconscious for almost ten minutes," he pointed out. "A lot could have happened in that time."

"Probably," she agreed, "but you look too sick to even stand, never mind waste your breath negotiating when we both know what you want."

"And what is that?"

"You want Grunt dead."

He nodded and it was strange to watch, his head flopped like it wasn't attached, like he was about to fall asleep. Good. Fall asleep and never wake up again, leave her and Grunt alone. With Monger gone she could escape, once she got rid of Wróg first, of course.

Monger seemed to take control of his head light and went over to a bloody table in the far corner. She realized she was inside the intersection and it was filled with boxes and tools, half-finished robots and design boards. Stores of food and water and his bed, its sheets stained red. This is where he had been all this time, when he left the Broker this is where he came.

"There can only be one," Monger said, more to himself. "That's the way it has to be. There can only be one... one... one..."

Had he gone mad? Was the heat of his wound playing with his head? Now would be the perfect time to take advantage of the situation, despite the odds she felt she could take out both of them. She would even take out Wróg, if that's what it took.

How could he? They had been friends, such good friends, how could he betray his team and Krill? He killed Isandro, essentially killing one of Grunt's family members, and doing so had also torn a hole through Krill's heart. Is that why he did it? Was he jealous of Isandro?

"How could you?" she growled. "How could you do this to us? After everything that happened... how you could just betray us like that?"

Wróg opened his mouth to answer, but it was Monger who spoke.

"What are you talking about?" he grunted.

"You know what I'm talking about!" she snapped. "All this time Wróg's been working for you, playing us like fools."

Monger looked at her for a long, delayed moment, and then laughed. It was a nasty, wheezy laugh, like he wanted to be tough but couldn't quite muster the strength. He clasped Wróg's shoulder, squeezing tightly, and for the first time Shay'kera actually looked at him.

She hadn't really looked at him; just a glare and a sideways glance, but now she saw the truth. His arms were not free; they were bound behind him, just like hers. His face had marks, like he had been beaten while she was unconscious. But why? If Wróg was tied up and beaten then that meant...

She looked at Monger, at his sickening smile, and she felt an icy cold feeling whelm inside of her stomach. If Wróg was not the traitor, if he was just some pawn in this sick game, then who was the traitor and where was he?

...

Aeacus stared at Grunt from the corner of his eye, one hand clasped firmly on his Harpy pistol. An old model, his father had given it to him, just after giving Aeacus sound advice on women and how dangerous they are and how they were not to be treated.

Aeacus couldn't have been very old when he was told those words, perhaps only seven. They stayed with him, after so many years, as clear as it had been as if he was reliving the moment again and again. Perhaps in a way he was, as it felt like he was learning the same lesson over and over again.

"We're almost there," Aeacus said. "Slow down, or else we're going to have problems stopping."

"We'll be fine," Grunt said. "Even if we don't slow down and the vehicle rolls we're tough enough not to be killed."

Aeacus sighed, an annoyed sound, like he was tired of taking care of everything and aimed the pistol at Grunt. "I said stop," he ordered. "I can't risk you doing something stupid and killing yourself."

"You don't know me well enough if you think I won't do something stupid," Grunt snapped.

He reached for the gun, trying to tear it from Aeacus, and as the two struggled the car tilted off the road and the trigger was pulled. There was a loud bang and blood hit the window. The car hit something, a lamp post, and the car skidded and spun and hit the ground, landing on its back like a turtle left to bake in the sun.

The car made a low whining sound, the signal for help. Someone would come, very soon in fact, as the entrance to the tunnel's was not all that far from a row of houses. Not good. Aeacus couldn't risk anyone coming for them, not when they were so close to achieving their goal.

He reached for his gun, finding it above his head, and grabbed it. He felt a little disoriented, stuck upside down to his seat, but he could take the moment to commend the engineer's on such strong belts. He fired at the panel, shutting off the whine quickly.

He unbuckled, falling to the ground, and felt the blood between his fingers. Grunt's blood, it seemed. He checked the driver's seat, finding it empty and the door open. So here was the blood, but where did the tank born go?

He crawled towards the open door, when a hand gripped him by the throat, dragged him out and threw him against the hard and dented metal of the car. His gun was gone from his grasp, now suddenly pointed towards him, and in the hands of a tank born willing to shoot.

"You _and_ Wróg betrayed us?" Grunt snarled. "Why? What the hell has Monger offered you?"

"Wróg?" Aeacus laughed. "Don't be foolish - he was just easier to use against you. When he was paired with Shay'kera it was just a matter of editing the surveillance footage to show him. It was tricky, but I must have done a good if even _you_ fell for it."

"So you stole the prophetic, you helped Monger, you..." Grunt fell silent, remembering how Aeacus shot Monger in the hand, how he defended himself when he was called murderer.

"I didn't kill Isandro," Aeacus said, answering his thoughts. "That part is true. Monger _did_ want Isandro to join him, but Isandro called him insane and he was killed."

"So why?" Grunt asked. "Why did you join Monger?"

"Because it was fair," Aeacus argued. "What he offered was everything I wanted - all I had to do was follow his orders."

"Fair?" Grunt snarled. "How is Isandro's death _fair!?_"

"Because you were supposed to die!" Aeacus growled. "You would die - or be seriously injured if death failed - in that building and then I would come in and save the die the day! Unfortunately my aim was off and I hit Monger's hand - I was aiming for you, but you fell and..."

He couldn't finished, his words forming a nasty growl.

"I die, you take my place and Sif falls in love with you... is that it?" Grunt asked. "All this to look good in the eyes of someone who hates you?"

"She doesn't hate me!" Aeacus snapped.

Grunt scowled and shot Aeacus in the leg. He roared in pain, falling to his knees, and Grunt shot him in the arm. He turned the gun, slamming the butt into Aeacus' face, and he fell to the floor, clutching his bleeding nose and swearing foully.

He brought up his Omni-tool, turning around to fire once more and struck his shoulder. Steel's face appeared on screen.

"Get a fix on my location and arrest Aeacus," Grunt ordered. "Don't question me. Just come down as soon as possible, with reinforcements."

Steel knew he wanted to argue, but he didn't, because he obeyed any order. He nodded once, his face disappearing off screen and Grunt checked Aeacus for more ammo. He wouldn't be able to move yet, pain would hold him down, and for now it was enough.

Grunt flexed his hand, examining the hole in his palm where he had been shot. If he looked past the blood and whatever else was mixed up in the gooey mess he could just about see through it, which he found oddly fascinating and a little sickening.

It shouldn't affect the battle, so he pushed it to the back of his mind. He took the ammo, reloaded, and entered the demon's den.

...

It didn't take long to find Monger's lair. Shay'kera's signal beeped and pulsed like a heartbeat, a small ray of hope in the dark. As long as Shay lived, as long as the Omni-tool felt her life, then the beat would continue in the gloom.

Every time his own Omni beeped in tune with hers there was hope. Monger wouldn't kill her, not yet, and Wróg was there too. How could he so easily believed Wróg was a traitor? Yes, Wróg had been jealous of Isandro, but never would that green snake have turned him to murder.

His anger towards Monger had blinded him, he knew there was something wrong with the surveillance and yet he was quick to believe a lie because it was easier to hate. Hate's rawness was like a jagged wound, continuously bleeding new reasons to hate, yet why was it so hard to pause and think?

Was it hard because it was a blinding flare that distracted you from the path of vengeance? He understood the crusade of vengeance well, he had seen the best of people become twisted by it, do things and say things he never thought possible.

He continued forwards, into the dark tunnel, and came across a large steel door. Inside was Shay and Wróg and Monger, but at the moment he was only concerned with two of those three. He found the door, already open, and stepped inside.

The first thing he saw was Monger, stood in the centre of the room. To the far side he saw Shay and Wróg, placed far enough to the side they wouldn't be caught up in the fight. Strange, Grunt would have thought he would use them against him.

"Finally..." Monger wheezed. "I was wondering when you would show up."

"Aren't you wondering where Aeacus is?" Grunt asked. "He did try to shove me off the road."

"I assumed you killed him," Monger replied. "I wouldn't have minded. He did destroy my hand, after all."

He showed off his new prophetic limb, and instantly Grunt picked out several flaws and weak spots. Monger was weak, still sick and with a new limb that would soon fail him. Grunt had to end this quickly, cleanly, without injuring Shay or Wróg and without dragging it out.

He had to go into custody and pay for his crimes. While revenge would have been so much more satisfying he couldn't risk it - the longer the fighter, the better chance Monger had to get into his head, and Grunt couldn't take that chance.

Grunt threw his gun aside; it clattered somewhere, falling out of sight. Monger knew it was probably foolish to throw away his weapon, especially in his condition, but his victory just wouldn't feel right if he achieved it by using some weapon.

He reached for his gun, showing it to Grunt, before tossing it into the dark. Shay watched, feeling the metal restraints bite into her wrist. They were dampening her powers and Wróg was unable to stretch his fingers far enough to reach the lock or any panel he could pry open and fiddle with.

They just had to let it play out.

Grunt's fists surged with biotic energy and after a strained moment, Monger was able to summon his own power. He could barely summon the power necessary to fight, how was he planning on actually throwing a fist when he could barely raise it?

Monger charged, his face puffy with exhaustion, and Grunt swung.

...

Steel, Skoll and Durak arrived outside of the tunnel, cautiously approaching the flipped vehicle. There were patches of blood beside the vehicle and marks of red stretched ahead, whoever had been injured had crawled away and dissapeared into the tunnel.

"Is this Aeacus' blood?" Durak asked.

"Most likely," Steel said, "which mean he's slivered away."

"Into the tunnels, most likely," Skoll added, following the streaks of blood.

...

Monger struck the ground, blood spurted from his mouth, and there was an agonized delay as he picked himself up from the dirty floor. He raised his shaky fist and swung. Grunt caught the fist, holding Monger's arm and rammed his elbow into the joint of Monger's arm.

There was a loud snap and Monger screamed, pushing away from Grunt and stumbling. He studied his arm, watching it flop uselessly. He turned to glare at Grunt and fired a biotic blast. Grunt raised a shield and absorbed the blast, returning with an equally as powerful blast that knocked Monger back and onto his ass.

Grunt examined his body, found no wounds. He knew this was going to be easy, but he never expected Monger to be so drained. He was at death's door, barely able to breathe, yet alone stand and fight. Grunt couldn't say what was wrong; it didn't look like any kind of infection he had seen.

It didn't matter for now, he would find out later.

"Ready to give up?" he asked. "It's easier for you to give up and get treated then to die."

"I'd rather die than have you treat me," Monger growled.

"You really _are_ stupid," Grunt said.

He went over to Shay and Wróg, examining the 'cuffs and found the controls, switching off both. He took both of the handcuffs, walking over to Monger, and sealing his hands behind his back and keeping his feet together. Monger glared at him, hardly struggling, partly because he couldn't.

"You guys okay?" he asked.

"We're fine," she said and turned to Wróg. "I owe you an apology."

"I do too," Grunt said. "I was presented with false evidence and believed you were guilty. I'm sorry for not trusting you."

Wróg didn't reply, but the hurt was clear in his eyes. Grunt had a lot to explain, but not here, not now. He would have to explain how his rage had distracted him and would have to hope that was enough, that Wróg would eventually forgive him.

There was a noise and a shot fired, a biotic blast that struck the roof and brought down part of the ceiling. Large chunks fell down, almost crushing Grunt, and the tunnel was filled with smoke and debris. Grunt spotted a faint light in the gloom, but then it was gone, quickly, and as the dust settled they saw Monger was gone and in his wake was a blood splatter. At the back of the room was a large hole, ripping through the metal and showing the darkness of the tunnel.

"Wha-what was _that?_" Wróg coughed. "Did Monger escape?"

"Yeah..." Grunt replied. "Aeacus must have grabbed him and ran."

"Then we should follow," Shay'kera said.

"No," Grunt said quickly. "Reinforcements are on their way, they can give chase. Besides, they won't get far..."

...

Skoll, Steel and Durak had checked the tunnels, but had found nothing. It was too dark inside and they had no current map of the area, they could search as long as they wanted but they had no idea where to go, and Monger and Aeacus were probably gone.

They returned to inform Grunt of the news and he took it far more calmly than any of them had expected. He ordered for the tunnels to be searched once a map had been drawn, until then the authorities were to be informed of Aeacus' treacherous ways and now his face filled the streets on wanted posters.

Grunt and Shay had apologized to Wróg, he had accepted, though it seemed he hadn't meant it. They didn't push it - he deserved the time to accept they had thought him as a traitor. Had it been any other person he would have called them traitor too, it was just the way hate had poisoned his brain.

Back at his apartment he sat, facing the television, though paying no attention. He had stripped off his armour, it suddenly feeling heavy, and he looked at the bandages around his hand. The doctors had done their best to fix it - but even Omni-gel couldn't fix this kind of injury.

There were hands on his broad shoulders and he tensed, until he felt a warm pulsing sensation that eased him. Shay massaged his shoulders, pushing in some biotic force to give that extra pinch. He never knew biotic power could be used so carefully, then again, he never had the need to use it carefully.

"I should be doing this to you," he remarked. "You _did_ get kidnapped."

"True, but you can make it up to me later," she said. "You deserve this."

"Why?" he asked.

"You could have chased after Monger, you could have even killed him," she replied. "Yet you 'cuffed him. You ordered someone else to pursue him. You are learning what it means to be a leader - mission first, grudges second."

He smiled and leaned back, looking up at her. She scooped low, kissing him on the lips and gently caressed his rough skin with the back of her hand. She was right - he could have left them, chased Monger, got his revenge. But it was easier to let it go, move on.

Just as Shepard had.

His smile grew wider as he considered how much like Shepard he had become. She still hated everyone who had caused her or her friends harm, but calmly went about extracting her revenge, waiting patiently for her moment and then bringing them down.

Just as she did Saren, the Collectors, Kai Leng and the Reapers. Revenge would come, as it always did, with a price and but Grunt was unwilling to sacrifice anything or anyone. He supposed that was the different between him and Shepard - she was more selfless than he ever was.

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_**Shit.** I just realized how close we're getting to the end, seriously, there's probably six or so chapters left. At least I still have Beaten Pyjacks (which I will shamelessly continue to promote) :)_


	28. The Silent Kill

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Silent Kill**

Giger sat on board Aralakh's ship, his fingers feeling the crack in the back of his head. He had been discharged just a few days ago, but now he was off to Omega to hunt down Aeacus and Monger. He had missed his chance to get his revenge while he was in the hospital, never again.

After Aeacus and Monger had vanished into the darkness Aralakh Company and the local authorities spent some days searching the tunnels and city before Faust and Krill had managed to locate them. Giger had been discharged from the hospital just a few hours earlier and managed to attend the meeting in their base.

The team sat around the round table, observing the small holographic figures of Krill and Faust. They couldn't access the base, nor would they be allowed to when many members of the Senate didn't like their involvement as it was and tried to limit it.

For now they were just little holographs in the centre of the table. The memory made Giger smile, seeing that small version of Faust, like a doll that could fit within his hand. He had reached forwards and put his hand through, watching the image contort and Faust shout at him.

_"Enough, Giger," she had said. "This is serious."_

_He sat back in his chair, throwing his hands in the air innocently. He thought back to the meeting, to what Krill and Faust had found, and he wondered why the Senate would want to limit their involvement when even the mighty leaders of Tuchanka had failed to find Aeacus and Monger._

_"So what have you found?" Grunt asked._

_"After they escaped your grasp it seems Aeacus took Monger somewhere to treat his condition," Faust replied. "You mentioned he seemed in a terrible state, which means they couldn't necessarily leave without risking being captured."_

_"For a few days they laid low, though we aren't sure where," Krill added. "They managed to get off Tuchanka too, under an alias, and now our sources found them on Omega."_

_"Omega?" Steel repeated. "How did they get so far without us knowing? I know they had an alias, but still..."_

_"They're in contact with an asari named Venra," Faust answered. "Her sister is a well-known loan shark, but she's managed to remain under the radar by dealing with the... shadier side of crime."_

_"We all know one of her contacts," Krill said. "The body-collecting yahg. She helped him get his ship, the stolen blue prints for the Seeker Swarms. She even got him into contact with the illegal organ traffickers."_

_"That seems a little too convenient," Sif observed. "We couldn't even track all the contacts of that yahg, how did Aeacus manage it?"_

_"I don't think it was Aeacus, I think Monger was involved with the yahg," Faust answered._

_She touched something off-screen and a terminal opened up in front of them. It showed some kind of transaction between Monger and the yahg, a list of body parts, all krogan. Why would Monger want body parts? Was he trying to copy his creator's path?_

_"Of course, with the yahg now in prison facing a death sentence the only contact Monger has is Venra," Faust continued. "She's keeping them somewhere on Omega. We've managed to narrow the search down to one district, but we're unsure of which building."_

_"Don't worry about that, though," Krill said. "We've arranged for someone to help you. She's a native of Omega and now works for the Shadow Broker, her expertise in the area will be helpful."_

_Grunt smiled, "I'm going to have to sign you two onto the team," he remarked. "The information you have access to is vital."_

_"Don't worry about that for now," Krill said. "Worry about Monger and Aeacus - there's no guarantee they'll remain on Omega and if they leave..."_

He didn't need to say it, because they knew what it meant if Monger and Aeacus managed to slip past them again. If they left Omega they would be gone - there would be no way to track them down through space. It was now or never.

He glanced at his team, the ones chosen to follow him to Omega and he wondered why he and Sif had been allowed to go. He had a grudge against Monger and Sif was in danger of allowing her emotions to interfere with Aeacus, worse still, Aeacus' feelings for Sif were twisted enough for him to try something.

The only one without any personal feelings was Durak, but he was still a whelp, younger than all of them. Giger didn't even know him that well, but Grunt seemed to trust him enough to let him go on this sensitive assignment. And really, that's what this mission required.

Back when Giger worked underneath Aria much of his work was done within the shadows, secrecy was his modus operandi. If he was discovered then his mission - and life - was over. Sif had also worked several spec op assignments for her clan, while Durak had no experience in this field.

It would be a good learning experience for him, but he would have to learn on his feet. Maybe that was why they had been chosen, because of Sif and Giger's speciality and Durak was not just there to learn, but to ensure they stayed on track.

"Are you okay, Giger?" Sif asked. "You've been feeling your wound for the past ten minutes."

"I'm fine, don't worry," he replied. "I was just considering our assignment."

"Also wondering why we were chosen?" she asked.

He nodded.

"The fact is half of our team have something against Monger and Aeacus," she said. "Grunt, Shay, Steel, Wróg, you and me - the only ones who won't feel any great resentment are Adria, Durak and Skoll. But you know as well as I do that this mission requires stealth, we need to get close without alerting anyone, and no one else could do that - regardless of how they feel about them."

"You just confirmed what I already thought," he said. "So why the kid?"

"The best of warriors require a leash," she responded.

Then it was just as he thought - they were the only ones who could this, despite their feelings. No pressure then.

...

They arrived on Omega, managing to arrive without much fuss, and left the vessel parked in a nice, quiet bay. It was necessary for them to locate Monger and Aeacus as soon as possible; exposing themselves any longer would run the risk of being discovered by their targets.

They moved into the district, known simply as District Twelve, and stopped by an apartment where they were to meet the contact. Giger sort of knew who to expect, it was either going to be one of Aria's Executioners or if Faust wanted to give her a break then she would send -

A girl approached them, a human around the age of eighteen, with dark black hair that was short and messy. Across her face was a thin black line that ran from ear to ear and across her nose, almost like a scar, but clearly a tattoo. She wore a black PCV suit with a short, leather jacket and goggles. He was reminded of all the thieves he had met over the years, she had that air about her.

"Nice to meet you all," she said. "I'm Sparrow."

He started, almost falling back but instead took a step forwards to get a better look at her. This girl was Faust's sister? Her eyes were blue like Faust's, but not icy, and her face was smoother and a little rounder. If he hadn't been told, he never would have thought this girl was related.

Faust did want to give her sister a chance, give Giger the chance to meet her while also allowing Sparrow to demonstrate the skills that would help them get through this mission.

"Faust told you everything?" Durak asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I am to lead you to Venra's base, where I believe Monger and Aeacus are being held. The place is very secure, but I can hack through the system providing you with a ten minute opening. Once in I can guide you through the system."

"We need to confirm they are there before we do anything," Giger said.

"Don't worry," Sparrow said. "That'll be no problem."

She took them through the district, avoiding the main streets by taking alleyways and passing through closed stores. Omega, unlike the Citadel, didn't have a day/night routine. The locals had fallen into a simple routine as if naturally, where every twelve hours the stores would close or trade hands, so it would seem that they had arrived at Omega's night time, perfect for moving around and with less people.

Sparrow moved with surprising ease through the alleys, taking only a few seconds to access the stores before closing them as they sneaked through. It would seem Giger's assumption was right - Sparrow was once a thief, before or after Faust arrived in her life, he wondered.

They came to an old store, long abandoned, and set up camp within. It was a well sized shop, filled with draws that must have once contained weapons or tools. One window overlooked a section of a warehouse, the perfect place for reconnaissance.

"That warehouse is Venra's main base," Sparrow explained. "She has a few others, but this is where I saw Aeacus take Monger."

"How did he look?" Durak asked.

"Monger? He looked pretty bad," Sparrow replied. "I heard he was suffering because of the prosthetics, but I think it's more than that - he looks sick with something."

"Then let's hope whatever ails him, kills him," Sif said bitterly.

Sparrow looked around, a little uncomfortably, and turned to Giger and Durak. "Which one of you is better at sneaking?" she asked.

"Me," Giger replied. "Durak, you and Sif can stay here and watch the area. If anything happens, _anything_, call."

Durak saluted and went to the window, obeying every word as a good soldier would. He was the politician's son and so far it hadn't come into use, as Wrex had promised them it would, which sometimes made Giger wonder if they kept the whelp because the skills he learnt so young would be imperative to him in the future.

Giger and Sparrow sneaked out through the roof, checking the darkness for any moments, and then moved onto the roof of Venra's warehouse. There were security cameras littered over the roof, Sparrow was quick to hack into their system and provide them with a fifteen minute blind spot that allowed them to move forwards without delay.

Giger was sort of reminded of the old days, especially being with the sister of his beloved, but he wouldn't go back to those days despite how great they were. There was always the threat of him being taken away or Faust being transferred or death and an unmarked grave.

Aralakh Company was a little more stable and a lot friendlier.

"So you're the one I've heard so much about," Sparrow smiled at him. "You've got quads, the guy who took Faust from Aria. No one thought it was possible for an Executioner to escape those chains, but you somehow managed it."

"You give me too much credit," he said. "Faust did most of the work."

"True, but who inspired her to take that chance?" she retorted.

He said nothing, only smiled.

They came to a skyline and peered inside. It was an office room, with an open front that looked down on the ground floor where it was filled with cold storage boxes, medical equipment and a bed closed off by a white curtain.

They spotted Aeacus in the corner of the large room, beside a stack of food supplies. Monger and Venra were not in sight. Sparrow checked the skyline for any alarms and turned them off. She opened the window and released a small device, something like a little metal fly.

"It's too dangerous to stay up here," she said. "That little device will do the sneaking for us."

He didn't question her, trusting her decision, and they left the roof and crossed back to the hide out just as the cameras came back online. They entered the shop and Sparrow opened a terminal, the device's live recording, and they listened.

It had settled by Aeacus, but not too close as to be obvious, and it watched Aeacus.

"He looks terrible," Sif remarked.

She was right, it looked like he hadn't slept or eaten in days and the food packet he slowly chewed made him pull a sickening expression. He was probably regretting his decision, but as terrible as it was, Giger was glad he had betrayed them.

Aeacus' character meant that, sooner or later, he would have done something to upset the balance. Whether it was his desperate attempts to keep hold of Sif or if he decided to try to steal power from Grunt, Aeacus had an antagonistic personality and it was best something like this happened now than later.

In the vid Aeacus threw aside the food packet and looked over to the curtained-off bed just as it opened briefly and Venra stepped out. Her skin was a light shade of violet while the patterns along her face were jagged and sharp, almost like twisted horns that curved around her eyes and brow while there were canine type patterns on her mouth that resembled a grinning mouth.

Her gloves were bloody, as was her apron. What exactly were they doing to Monger? He was much more serious than they thought, but why and how? Maybe he was sick, as Sparrow had said, which meant he may just die on his own accord as Sif so desired.

_"... Will he live?" Aeacus asked._

_"I can't say," she answered. "I'm not a doctor. But I've done what I can with what I have."_

_"We need help," he said._

_"From who?" she said. "Aria won't help us, not when you're both considered terrorists and while this place **is** full of scum there's no room for terrorists."_

_"So what do we do then?" he growled._

_"I don't care," she snapped. "Neither of you are my problem."_

_"You're involved with us now," he countered. "You're an accessory to not only our crimes, but that damn yahg, and you're harbouring criminals and illegal body parts."_

_She fell silent._

_He mumbled under his breath, "I can see why you don't do as well as your sister."_

_She glared at him. "I'm going out to find something to ease Monger's pain," she said. "Don't leave. I don't want anyone recognizing you."_

He mumbled again, this time the spy-fly couldn't pick it up. Venra threw off her gloves and apron and stormed out the front door.

"We should strike now," Giger said. "Monger is weakened and Aeacus seems out of it."

"Do we take them in alive?" Durak asked. "I know the Senate would prefer to take them in alive, but..."

He didn't need to finish, because they would all prefer to kill them both. Monger was sick anyway; maybe putting him down was better, at least then Aeacus would have to face punishment alone.

"Alive if we can, dead if we have to," Giger ordered. "Sparrow, stay here and keep Venra's security down and keep an eye out for her. Durak, you'll guard the roof in case either tries to make a run for it while Sif and I will go in and take them out."

They moved a moment later, waiting until Venra was out of sight. Sparrow shut down the entire security system, but ensured Venra received a false report so she wouldn't be alerted. Durak guarded the roof, watching as Giger and Sif silently slipped in through the skyline.

"You go for Monger," Giger said. "I'll handle Aeacus."

She wanted to argue, it was obvious, but she didn't because Giger's decision was right. They could both avoid personal feelings complicating the mission, ensuring the safety and success of the mission. She wouldn't risk the mission, she wasn't that selfish.

They moved along the balcony, avoiding Aeacus' line of sight. Giger paused, watching as Aeacus moved further towards a large crate, examining it before sitting down. Perfect. He was facing away from the curtained bed and them.

Giger dropped down, falling quietly despite his size, and Sif moved towards her target, dropping down when within range. Giger drew his knife, creeping towards Aeacus as Sif dissapeared behind the curtain. He was so close now, one cut and it was all over.

A sudden explosion ran out, the front door blowing up with such force that the building and ground shook as the wall crumbled in a heap of dust. Aeacus spun around, spotted Giger and fired a biotic blast. Giger dived out of the way, drawing his gun as he rolled. He dived behind cover, using the dust to his advantage. He managed to make out Aeacus' body in the thick dust and fired. Aeacus cried out in pain, falling back as he clutched his arm. Giger fired again; Aeacus twisted his body as he tried his best to avoid the shots and dissapeared behind cover.

The dust began to settle and Giger saw a large jagged hole in the curtain. He glanced back at the destroyed wall, what the hell had that kind of power? It couldn't have been a missile launcher or a biotic blast, so what...

Sif ran from the curtain, a jagged cut above her eye that turned her vision red, and she ran for cover. The curtain was ripped down and Monger stepped forwards, brandishing his new prophetic. The hand was gone, replaced by a large circular opening, almost like a cannon, but clearly it wasn't as it would have destroyed Monger's arm.

"It channels his biotic power," Sif said, appearing beside Grunt. "I'm not sure how, but it focus it enough so the power builds up and fires with three times the amount of power."

"He doesn't look any better," Giger observed. "He's still sick."

Monger, his face haggard and wet from sweat, took a step forwards. "Come out!" he called. "I'll end it quickly."

Giger ignored him, trying to make out the best path to Monger. He swore. Aeacus blocked the best path, if they could somehow distract him then...

He turned to Sif. His distraction.

...

Durak had watched Giger and Sif's seamless transition into the building, how expertly they had reached their targets, and then the explosion that ruined it. He wished he could be down there, assisting his team mates, but at that moment he had bigger worries.

Venra had come back, just as the explosion ruptured the night. She had known, somehow, that something was going to happen and arrived back just in time. She had a weapon with her now, or did she always have it on her and they hadn't seen it?

"I guess I was right about coming back," she said. "My security system was running just a little _too_ smoothly, I didn't notice the bug that changed the time of my security feeds."

"The awkward moment when your hacks are just too good," he smirked.

She smiled. "Aren't you a little young to be going after terrorists?" she asked.

"Not really," he replied. "It's part of my job, Venra Sioux."

"Oh, so you know my name," she said. "What else do you know?"

"Only what the reports say," he shrugged. "You're the sister of Venetia, a well-known and powerful loan shark. You never achieved her level of infamy, despite all those years of trying."

Her mouth twitched and she lost the smile. "Maybe killing you and siding with Monger will make me better than her," and she fired.

Durak threw up a shield and fired a biotic blast. It struck her in the chest and she fell back, hitting the roof hard. He charged, drawing his weapon and firing. She rolled down the side of the roof, avoiding the shots, and caught the edge of the roof before falling, firing back at him.

His shield came back up, deflecting the shot. Venra frowned. She had never seen anyone create a shield so quickly, with this boy it happened almost automatically. She was beginning to understand why this whelp was involved in such a sensitive case, he was stronger than he seemed.

...

Sif knew what she had to do, she had volunteered almost before Giger laid out her plan. She knew Aeacus blocked the best path and she knew she was the only one who could do anything about it. Despite her feelings, this was the only way.

She ran forwards, heading for new cover. Monger aimed at her, Aeacus jumped from hiding and sprinting forwards, chasing after her. Monger shouted at him, told him to get down, but Sif had already thrown a smoke pellet and encased them both in the gloom.

Giger took his chance, dashing between cover while Monger was distracted and came up behind him, drawing his knife and stabbing him in the side. Monger cried out in pain and turned on him, swinging wildly and missed. Giger removed his blade as he dodged Monger's sloppy attacks and continued to stab at him, aiming at vital points.

Monger coughed and the blood struck Giger in the face, he grimaced but didn't let it distract him. His blade struck Monger's new prophetic, twisting deep into the metal and forcing it away. Monger tried to pull his hand free, Giger aimed a gun at his face.

"You going to shoot me?" Monger laughed. "Go ahead. End it. Kill Okeer's greatest achievement."

Giger glared and shot him in the leg, bringing him to his knees.

"Okeer's greatest experiment is a krogan named Grunt," Giger retorted.

He struck Monger's temple with the gun, knocking him out. He drew some handcuffs, then deciding to play it safe he placed a collar around Monger's neck before and tying his hands together. The collar was an experimental invention, filled with small needles that injected the biotic user with small doses of Omega-Enkaphalin.

It was recovered from a Cerberus lab shortly after the organization was destroyed and while dangerous in large quantities, small doses ensured that any biotic-prisoner would be unable to use their powers. He hoped he had an extra one in case Venra came back.

A part of the roof collapsed and an asari fell to the floor, unconscious and with a few bullet holes. Durak dropped down, landing beside her, and as the smoke cleared Aeacus could be seen laying at Sif's feet. And Sparrow watched it all, in awe.

This was the power of Aralakh Company, though they may first fail and suffer, they picked themselves up and fought tooth and nail until they succeeded. This was Wrex's elite team and Sparrow found she had chills watching them battle with such skill.

Giger glanced at all the unconscious bodies and though Monger wouldn't hear it, he knew it wouldn't be the same if he didn't say it.

"Okeer Test Subject 316, you are under arrest."

_To Be Continued..._

* * *

_Tank Born prequel: ~queenyproductions_

_Monger arrested? Could this mean the end of his schemes?_


	29. Desperate Alliance

_Extra long chapter because I've been gone for so long and because I'm not here next week. Also, the editing was rushed because I wanted it out as soon as possible, so forgive me for whatever errors you find :)_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Desperate Alliance**

Grunt sat outside the cell, Monger's new home. It hadn't been specifically built for him, it was designed to hold biotic criminals and Monger just happened to fit nicely into that category. Grunt had been waiting to see Monger in his cell since he got the news, the great news that Monger had been captured.

Now he was thinking of all the crimes Monger was guilty of and it was surprisingly long, especially if Monger had truly been working alongside the body-collecting yahg, which in itself was enough for a lengthy sentence. Adding to the crimes committed on Tuchanka and Monger was looking at life or a death sentence.

It would be so good to see him in that cell, rotting for centuries. But judging by recent events Monger was going to die before he could be charged. According to the reports Monger's condition was worsening. It didn't matter; if Monger died now then he would be forever out of Grunt's life.

What _was_ wrong with him? Grunt wondered. Maybe Monger was rejected because of this sickness, some flaw in his genetics and not his personality. But if that's the case why give Monger away? Why allow him to live through this pain?

Something wasn't adding up, he was missing something. While he didn't necessarily care about Monger's condition, he wanted to know what had suddenly struck Monger and why no one could find out how and why. He secretly wondered if it was to do with Okeer's programming, which made him wonder if Giger and Steel would be infected too.

It seemed unlikely, considering how long the brother's had been alive for and nothing like this had ever happened to them. It was starting to bother him, like a missing piece to a jigsaw, and he hated when things were left unresolved.

Someone touched his shoulder and he jolted out of his thoughts. He turned to see Shay'kera, who gave him a small, if reassuring, smile. She knew Monger's condition was bothering Grunt. Faust had told Shay how Grunt wanted the human to use her resources to try to uncover anything in Okeer's files that could be of any help.

While Faust was going to go through with Grunt's request, she thought it was best that Shay know what her boyfriend and unit leader was doing after hours.

"The ship just came in," Shay told him. "Monger, Aeacus and Venra are all on-board."

"Venra? I thought the Asari Councillor requested Venra be dropped off on Illium for other crimes," Grunt said.

"That was before Sif confirmed Venra's involvement with the body-collecting yahg," Shay replied. "The yahg has been on death row for the last several months, and the Asari Councillor is hoping convicting Venra will finally put the yahg in the death chair. Putting her in our custody is a sign of good will, considering it was krogan who stopped the kidnappings."

"I actually forgot about that yahg," Grunt admitted.

"You've been busy with other things," Shay said, "and the yahg had been in political limbo for so long I'm not surprised you forgot."

"... How is Monger?" he asked.

"He won't be taken to hospital, if that's what you're thinking," she said. "He is coming straight to this cell, where he will be seen by doctors. If they can't figure out what's wrong with him then they either prolong his suffering or kill him."

Grunt stood, "Then let's go greet them," he said.

They left the holding area and went up to the bay, where they found the parked ship and a row of armed guards. Wrex was present, stood behind Krill and Faust and Steel who had all come wearing random guard uniforms as to not draw attention. The ship's door opened and out came the guilty three, one behind the other.

They had thick, heavy cuffs like large, rounded gauntlets that covered the tips of their fingers to their elbows. A chain that connected the cuffs together was also attached to the collar around their necks, like a thick metal brace. Their feet were also chained, which made running away a very slim option.

They came out and stood in a line. Giger, Sif and Durak came out, wearing helmets that concealed their identity. They looked like any other soldier, and as long as none of the guilty spoke their true names then they would remain a secret to all present.

Wrex glared at the guilty, but said nothing, didn't give Monger the satisfaction. He ordered them to be taken away and they were separated and taken out of sight by the small army of guards. The bay was almost empty, yet Wrex didn't give the all clear - not yet.

Steel shook his brother's bare hand, happy to see Giger back safely, and then gave Grunt a much welcomed fist bump. It was a little thing, but something Grunt appreciated. A small dose of brotherly warmth reminded him of the family he had missed out on.

Wrex ordered them to his office. He took his seat, looking tired again. Krill gave him a concerned glance, aware of Wrex's worries concerning his marriage. The problem was Wrex had rushed into things, the Genophage was cured and it became like a responsibility to breed.

They never had the dinner before the show, or so the saying goes. Krill had advised Wrex take Bakara out, while Wrex had initially laughed he knew Krill was right. They didn't develop the relationship, everything else got in the way. Wrex wanted to make it work, not because he _had_ to, but because he _wanted_ to.

He just wanted this day to go well, so his meal tonight would be extra special.

Sif and Durak removed their helmets. For a moment Sif looked as if she was pain, she resisted the natural urge to rub her stomach. She allowed the pain to pass and thankfully no one noticed her moment of weakness.

"Good job out there," Wrex said. "You got two of our most wanted and, as a bonus, an accomplice of the body-collecting yahg."

"Are we going to keep calling him that?" Steel said. "I know it's a weird thing to be fussy about..."

"He has no name," Wrex shrugged. "What else do you want to call him?"

"Body-collecting yahg is fine," Steel said.

"Now, back onto topic," Wrex said. "Venra has been confirmed as the yahg's main business partner and Monger is a confirmed buyer."

"Not to sound blunt, but why are you telling us this again?" Wróg asked. "We already knew all of these details when Sif, Giger and Durak went out to arrest them. A confirmation does little in the way of this case."

"It actually does a lot," Faust replied. "A confirmation means we can figure out what's wrong with Monger. He wasn't buying parts to be like Okeer, he was buying them to replace his own failing organs."

"Wait, replacing organs?" Adria repeated. "What exactly is wrong with him?"

"We won't know until we get a DNA sample," Krill replied. "But it seems like some kind of virus that deteriorates tissue. This kind of thing is tailor made and slow-reacting, at first it will have just poisoned his system, making him very sick and slowing his motor skills, then weeks or possibly months after this initial attack he would have begun to suffer muscle spasms, marrow decrease..."

"Long story short, it's very painful and takes a long time to kill," Faust finished. "If we're right, if this is a deterioration virus, then judging by his condition we can estimate how long he has left to live."

"Let me guess," Skoll said. "It isn't long?"

"If we're right, he has a week," Faust answered.

"A week?" Grunt gasped. "He must have been suffering for years to get to this point..."

Faust didn't reply. She just stood there, considering something. The others began to discuss what was next for Aeacus, who would be trialled in a krogan court, though it seemed likely he would get death, life if he was lucky. He had betrayed his unit, his government, by siding with Monger and helping him in his attempted murder of Grunt. In this new golden era, betrayal would not be looked upon fondly.

Faust glanced up at Giger, her expression instantly changing. She walked towards him, he barely moved.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You haven't said a single word and you haven't taken off your helmet. Has something happened?"

Giger was silent for a paused, worrying moment, and then he slowly reached for his helmet and removed it. The room fell silent. His skin had become pale, wet, the veins throbbed and every slow drawn breath hurt like breathing glass. There was blood in his teeth, where he had spit some up.

He looked just like Monger.

"When the hell did this happen?" Durak gasped. "You were fine on Omega!"

"I don't know..." Giger said. "I started to feel sick after the fight..."

"Wait, _after_ the fight?" Faust said. "Did you touch Monger?"

"Only with my knife," Giger responded. "I cuffed him too..."

"He did blood cough on you..." Sif said.

"Yeah..." Giger said. "You don't think that I'm..."

Faust didn't reply, couldn't. It was the only response he required.

"Then am I going to die to?" he cried. "What about Grunt and Steel? I touched Steel and he touched Grunt..."

"Wait, are they all sick?" Shay asked.

She reached out to Grunt, Sif grabbed her hand.

"Don't touch them," Faust ordered. "Krill, order for a quarantine room and team to take them down."

"But I feel fine," Steel argued.

"For the moment," Wrex responded. "We can't take the risk of further infection."

"Faust, please," Giger said. "Tell me you can fix this..."

"I..." she gritted her teeth. "I can sure try. If I can't... my vow still stands."

He didn't respond, but he knew how serious her vow was and didn't say anything else. A team of doctors in white appeared minutes later and took the trio down to a room specially prepared for them. The team fell into disarray, trying to figure out what was happening, how it happened.

They could guess all they wanted, only one person had the answer.

Monger.

...

In the white room the Okeer Trio had been separated by a thick, plastic sheet that neatly divided the room. All possessions had been taken and placed in a box in the corner of each section. After a quick examination the doctors caught the early symptoms in Grunt and Steel and now they were beginning to feel sick.

Both felt warm and tired, and occasionally their joints became stiff and they couldn't move. If this was early symptoms they couldn't imagine what came later, or what Monger was going through. For now they could handle the pain, but what about later? When the pain increased, what would they do?

"I'm so sorry," Giger said. "I didn't think it could be passed on... I didn't know what was wrong, I just thought I was sick."

"You should have told Sif and Durak as soon as the symptoms began to creep up on you!" Steel snapped. "Now I could die!"

"Stop talking about death," Grunt ordered. "No one ever said this thing didn't have a cure."

"If there is a cure why didn't Monger fix himself earlier?" Steel retorted.

Grunt fell silent.

He didn't want to think this was how he was going to go out, locked in some white room, slowly suffering from failed organs. It was like Krill said - the actual organ failings didn't occur until weeks or even months afterwards. He could be suffering for weeks and months to come, he would be praying for death.

...

Monger had been strapped to a table that was angled towards them, facing them in his tight restraints and neck brace, he still had the gaul to smile smugly. Faust glared at him and it took every bit of her small self-restraint not to kill him.

Faust, Krill and Wróg had been sent to gather information, as was their speciality. Krill only feared their biggest threat at the moment was Faust's emotions, they were too unpredictable. They just had to hope she was capable of controlling herself.

"How is Giger feeling?" Monger croaked. "The fact you're here means he's unwell."

"He's not great," Faust replied, "which is a rather interesting development. The whole time we've been in contact with you and no one got sick until just the other day. You know what that means, don't you?"

"I do, but enlighten me," he responded.

"You rigged your DNA, probably with nanites that respond by skin contact," Faust answered. "Once in contact the nanites begin to poison the body. It will eventually kill Giger, but not before you."

"The fact you mention skin contact means someone else is sick," Monger observed. "My contact with Giger wasn't 'skin', not when it was my blood that touched him. So who else is sick?"

Krill and Wróg shared a glance, unsure as to how to answer. Faust did.

"Grunt."

Monger's face dropped, his expression turning from smug to panic. He tried to hide it, but it was too late. They had him now, they knew his game. Monger didn't care about Giger or even Steel getting sick, he was just a pawn, someone to use in his plan, but Grunt being sick changed the rules.

"You can't find the cure, can you?" Faust said. "Okeer did this to you and you've spent years trying to figure out how to fix what he's done. You're getting towards the end, you re desperate, and now you've come to us. But you must know even if we find the cure we won't fix you."

"You're only half right," Monger responded. "Without me there is no cure. I have the formula of the cure. I found it in Okeer's lab on Tuchanka, and took it with me to Omega in hopes of Venra being successful in completing it."

"So she failed and now you've poisoned our friends in hopes of some deal," Faust finished.

"You are a clever human," he commented. "I now understand Giger's love for you." He tried to laugh, blood came up instead. "Here are the terms of the deal - you release Venra and Aeacus, who will take you to where Okeer's original lab is, and devise this cure which you will share."

Krill went to respond, Faust silenced him with a wave of her hand.

"Alright, we have a deal," she said. "You stay here and we will return with the cure."

"I'll be waiting," he smirked.

They left the room and walked halfway down the corridor, when Faust stopped and fell against the wall. She took a deep breath, as if she had been holding it in.

"Are you crazy?" Wróg asked. "You can't just make deals without Wrex's permission."

"Don't you understand?" she said. "We need this deal."

"What are you talking about?" Krill asked.

"Monger just confirmed that there are nanites in our boys," Faust said. "Nanites can't deteriorate muscles or organs - they aren't strong enough for that. All they can do is disrupt blood flow, weaken muscles, and while that is bad it can't kill them." They can be easily removed with technology. Monger's problem is biological and he wants us to think his cure is the same as theirs."

"So we can save the trio," Wróg said. "But why would Monger alter his DNA to contain nanites, won't they make him worse?"

"Possibly, depending on the amount," Faust said. "He's gambling a whole lot on this to be successful."

"Then let him die and let's focus on our guys," Wróg said.

"No, there's something else," she said. "He knows we can remove the nanites, which means he's rigged them or done something to their code which means we can't remove without a password or something."

"Let me guess, if we try to remove them then they'll probably worsen or die, right?" Wróg asked.

Faust nodded.

"Then we have to do this, just until we find a way to remove the nanites," Krill said.

Faust sighed, "Wrex won't be happy..."

...

Venra and Aeacus stood before Aralakh Company, hands and powers still restrained despite their new-found freedom. Though they were free there was nothing in the deal that said they had a right to their powers, or to more than a few movements.

"So you understand the deal?" Shay asked. "Venra comes with us to create the cure. Aeacus stays here."

"Monger wants both of us to accompany you," Venra argued.

"Monger just wants a cure," Shay retorted, "and Aeacus has no idea how to devise such a thing. You go, he stays."

Venra frowned in annoyance, knowing there was no reason to argue further when every argument she gives can be rebuked by a very determined krogan. Venra didn't necessarily want to leave Aeacus with the rest of Aralakh Company, but she honestly couldn't care about him.

"Alright then," she said. "Let's go. There's a cure waiting for us."

They split up - Shay, Skoll and Wróg took Venra out to the bad lands where Okeer's original laboratory was hidden. Aeacus was to remain under Adria, Durak and Sif's watch. There was much they didn't understand about Monger's plan and they didn't have time to consider what he could be planning.

Faust's Omni-tool buzzed, a confirmation that the Tomkah Team One had taken was now on the move. Faust couldn't trust Venra for accurate coordinates, if she led them then they may fall into a trap, which was why they had hacked her Omni-tool.

"They're gone," Faust said. "Now it's time for us to get to work."

"You've got all of Venra's information?" Adria asked.

"Yes, transferring it to you now," Faust replied.

"So what's the plan for us?" Durak asked. "You two planned it without really filling me in."

"It's simple," Adria said. "Venra isn't going to make the cure - Wróg is, by using the files we've stolen from her. We hope there's something in the files that will give us a clue about the nanites. Meanwhile I want you and Faust to interrogate Aeacus."

"Why not me?" Sif asked. "I know him better, I could-"

"The fact you know him better is the reason I can't allow you to see him," Adria said. "He knows you pretty well too, he knows your weaknesses as well as you know his. Your talents are better used helping me finding the nanites shut-down sequence."

Faust slapped Durak on the back. "Let's be off, shall we?" she said. "I've got some fun tricks to teach you."

Durak followed Faust's lead, knowing it was best for them to be out of sight so Sif and Adria could see to the stolen files. If Venra was the one responsible for the nanites then she must have the answer, somewhere, in her files. If she didn't, then maybe Aeacus did.

There was no guarantee that Aeacus would so easily talk, but as Faust said, she had a lot to teach Durak in the art of interrogation.

_To Be Continued..._


End file.
